Alicia Vikander Says ‘Tomb Raider’ Sequel Is Now In Limbo Due To MGM/Amazon Merger

There are some film projects, over the years, that seem to be cursed somehow. The one that immediately comes to mind is Fox’s attempt to get “Gambit” made with Channing Tatum. That film just always seemed to be hit with delays and behind-the-scenes shakeups. Now, it appears we’re getting a similar string of bad luck with the planned “Tomb Raider” sequel.

According to a new interview with EW, Alicia Vikander, the star of the recently rebooted “Tomb Raider” franchise, talked about the planned sequel to the film. And instead of giving a hopeful update about when filming is expected to begin, with filmmaker Misha Green behind the camera, the actress instead talked about how the film seems to be in limbo thanks to outside forces, including the recent deal by Amazon to purchase MGM.

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“With the MGM and Amazon buyout, I have no clue. Now it’s kind of politics,” Vikander explained. “I think Misha and I have been ready, so it’s kind of in somebody else’s hands, to be honest.”

She didn’t want to spoil anything specific about the film, but Vikander is quick to compliment the work done by filmmaker Misha Green.

“I’ve been excited to show the world,” Vikander said. “I love what she’s done with ‘Lovecraft Country.’”

READ MORE: Misha Green Signs Overall Multi-Year Deal With Apple TV+ After HBO Killed Season 2 Of ‘Lovecraft Country’

Released in 2018, the Vikander-led “Tomb Raider” reboot film wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t necessarily light up the box office or become a critical darling either. But if you are an optimist, you were able to see the building blocks to something special, specifically with the performance of Vikander. MGM thought the same thing, as a sequel pretty quickly went into development, with Ben Wheatley brought on to direct in 2019. Quite hopeful, MGM actually set aside a 2021 release window for the film, but behind-the-scenes issues led to constant delays and eventually Wheatley’s departure. That paved the way for Green to take over directing duties, fresh off her critical success on HBO’s “Lovecraft Country.” Sadly, it appears the film is, once again, stalled.

Now, you have to wonder how much longer Vikander is willing to stick around while the franchise she hoped to continue gets put back into limbo? We are now more than four years removed from the release of the first film. And even if filming began today, we wouldn’t see a sequel until the second half of 2023, at the earliest. Maybe the “Tomb Raider” franchise is doomed to gather dust on the shelf until it’s no longer viable and a new reboot is requested? We’ll have to wait and see.