Ben Wheatley to helm Tomb Raider sequel

In an extremely surprising turn of events, Ben Wheatley, best known as a director of cult films such as ‘Kill List’, ‘High Rise’, and ‘Free Fire’, will be helming the sequel to Alicia Vikander Tomb Raider reboot that hit screens last year.

The 2018 film, directed by Roar Uthaug, received extremely middling reviews from critics (48 on Metacritic), whilst the $94M production amassed only $274M worldwide, leaving a possible sequel very much in the balance.

Although packing some action filled punches (including a fantastic bike chase sequence) the film failed to allow Vikander (who was head and shoulders above the film itself) a greater deal of emotional depth as one of Video games’ most famous characters.

However, Wheatley, who in order for him to accept this role of directing a Hollywood blockbuster must have been offered a huge creative license, may well be able to offer the jump start the franchise needs. Currently hard at work in post-production on his adaptation of ‘Rebecca’, starring Lily James, Armie Hammer, and Keeley Hawes, Wheatley will surely hope to bring the action flare of his highly underrated ‘Free Fire’ whilst also allowing Vikander to take the character first made famous on screen through Angelina Jolie, to new depths.

The news of Wheatley’s arrival, providing he doesn’t drop out later down the line due to creative differences, provides this possibly unneeded sequel with a ray of hope, and potential for when it hits screens In 2021.