This fall season, Crystal Dynamics’ Rise of the Tomb Raider will launch as a timed-exclusive across Xbox One and Xbox 360, though there is another project involving Lara Croft quietly lingering in development over at MGM. That is, the long-gestating Tomb Raider reboot that has recently cast the net out in search of a female director.
All has been quiet on the progress of said project ever since, though an alleged director’s shortlist has surfaced online bringing the radio silence to an end. According to reports, MGM and Warner Bros. have narrowed their search down to three potential candidates: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker/Zero Dark Thirty), Catherine Hardwicke of The Twilight Saga and Mimi Leder (The Leftovers, Deep Impact).
Though they are by no means the only names on the purported shortlist, the trio is said to be the studios’ leading choices as they look for a female director of similar calibre to Michelle MacLaren to fill the director’s chair. Alas, MacLaren’s vision for the standalone Wonder Woman may have never panned out in the end, but the fact that her résumé includes directing the likes of Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, The Leftovers and Better Call Saul give an indication of the high-profile candidate that both MGM and WB are on the hunt for to helm Tomb Raider.
For now, this is just a rumor arriving by way of Tracking Board, which states that Bigelow, Hardwicke and Leder were brought forward once Tricia Brock formally passed on the live-action video game adaptation. What’s interesting to note is that the aforementioned trio also appeared on Warner’s shortlist for the Wonder Woman gig not so long ago – hardly surprising, really, what with the studio keen to appoint a proven female director at the helm of its other esteemed IP.
Could MGM and Warner Bros.’ Tomb Raider reboot welcome the return of Kathryn Bigelow to the blockbuster scene? Or will directing duties fall on the lap of Hardwicke or Leder? Time will tell.
