The Tomb Raider franchise took a huge hit recently when Alicia Vikander’s second outing as Lara Croft was cast onto the cinematic scrapheap, a decision that felt as though it had been coming for a while based on how long the sequel was lodged firmly in the throes of development hell.
2018’s reboot may have received tepid reactions from critics, but reviews were still better than either of Angelina Jolie’s two stints as the video game icon, while a box office haul just shy of $275 million was a solid return. It’s back to square one with the rights back up for grabs, though, but could Aubrey Plaza be the ideal candidate to step in and raid some tombs?
Edgar Wright seems to thinks so, as the actress revealed during a chat with Jimmy Fallon
“My friend Edgar Wright actually saw that and texted me and said, ‘Oh my god, you’re the new Lara Croft? You’re the new Tomb Raider?’ That’s the character in Tomb Raider. And I was like, ‘No, Edgar. That’s my movie, Emily the Criminal. And he genuinely thought I was cast as the new Tomb Raider. And then I looked it up and they actually are casting this role right now. And I was like, ‘Well there you go. The new Tomb Raider, whatever.’”
Needless to say, it didn’t take long before fans began throwing their weight behind the idea of actually having it happen.
Plaza has covered plenty of bases throughout her career, but headlining a blockbuster action movie hasn’t been one of them, at least not yet. It’d be an unexpected hiring, to be sure, but Tomb Raider fans sound as though they’re not exactly opposed to the concept.