Tomb Raider

That Tomb Raider reboot is chugging right along after justifying its existence by casting Walton Goggins as the villain. Obviously the agents know what they’re doing because that casting is perfect, as is Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft herself. Today, the studio announced a new addition, as Daniel Wu has officially joined the cast.

If you had any doubt about the necessity, validity, integrity or any other –ity of the new Tomb Raider movie, this bit of casting news should immediately mitigate any and all of your concerns. Walton Friggin’ Goggins has joined the cast of the upcoming reboot, in which he’ll play — oh come on, like we need to even tell you — the film’s villain. And with that piece of casting, Tomb Raider was just elevated from “Yeah, sure, I guess I’ll see this movie at some point” to “Can I pre-order my tickets now or nah?”

Of the many reboots in the works, the new Tomb Raider movie is one of the more interesting projects currently in development — and one of the few with some actual potential. Starring Ex Machina’s Alicia Vikander and directed by The Wave’s Roar Uthaug (who has the coolest name ever), Tomb Raider seems like the rare reboot that might actually be a good idea. And we won’t have to wait too long to find out if that’s the case, as Warner Bros. has officially set a release date.

After two moderately successful Tomb Raider movies, Paramount was looking to reboot the action-adventure franchise with a younger star. They had reportedly talked to Star Wars: The Force Awakens actress Daisy Ridley and probably every other young female actress in Hollywood (including Suicide Squad star Cara Delevigne) and have now found their new Lara Croft: Alicia Vikander...

Last week was a pretty busy one over at Warner Bros. — following the underwhelming box office and reactions to Batman v Superman, the studio is reportedly doubling down on its established blockbuster franchises and scaling back on the number of films released each year. They also set release dates for a few untitled projects, with many speculating that at least one of them is Ben Affleck’s solo Batman film. According to a new rumor, we may know what one of the other films could be.

Not sure if you saw that Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie that came out a few months ago, but if you missed it, I’ll let you in on a little something: actress Daisy Ridley is pretty great! You can have your beefs with J.J. Abrams and his lens flares and mystery boxes all you want, but you can’t deny that the man has a remarkable eye for talent...

Austin’s Fantastic Fest is always a great place to scout undiscovered talent. The festival brings in terrific genre movies from all over the world, often by little-known directors who then go on to make a huge impact in Hollywood. Case in point: This year, I really enjoyed a Norwegian disaster movie called The Wave, about a geologist who can’t convince anyone that his tiny town is about to face a deadly tsunami, and then has to race to rescue his family after they’re trapped in the watery chaos. From my review of the movie, at Fantastic Fest:

Back in February the rights to Tomb Raider landed at Warner Bros. with the studio tapping Divergent screenwriter Evan Daugherty to help reboot the franchise. And in July we heard rumors that WB and MGM were looking to hire a woman to direct the new Tomb Raider film — specifically that they were seeking a “Michelle MacLaren type” to fill the director’s chair. A new rumor suggests that the studios now have a shortlist of directors which unsurprisingly includes Kathryn Bigelow. Dream big, guys.

Following the disappointment of Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life, it’s not as if anyone has particularly high expectations for a Tomb Raider reboot — it wouldn’t have to do too much to surpass the quality of the last film. But Warner Bros. and MGM are apparently working quite hard to get this one as right as possible, and a new report suggests that part of that plan includes hiring a woman to direct.

It’s been a few years since we’ve heard anything about the Tomb Raider reboot, which was first announced back in 2009. As of the last update, the project was over at MGM and a script was in the works. Now, the Tomb Raider reboot has made yet another move, as Warner Bros. has picked up the project with a brand new writer in tow, and they’re putting the movie on the “fast track.”