Paramount PicturesAngelina Jolie's loss may just be Megan Fox's gain.
Warner Bros. has confirmed plans to relaunch—and completely overhaul—the hot-pants-wearing, artifact-collecting Lara Croft: Tomb Raider franchise, with the first major casualty being Jolie.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the third film will completely reboot the video-game-based character, including changing her origin story (most likely shying away from her English aristocracy roots), and introduce new kinds of missions, love interests and villains.
And, most notably, a new leading lady.
While producers say an actress likely won't be cast until a writer and director have signed on, Fox has emerged as the frontrunner replacement, at least as far as the blogosphere is concerned.
While Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and its inconsistently punctuated sequel, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, were produced by Paramount, the rights to the series have since reverted back to video game purveyor Eidos. In December, Time Warner increased its stake in the multimedia company, ensuring in-house studio Warner Bros. first dibs to what has been a lucrative, albeit critically panned, franchise.
The first installment, released in 2001, grossed $275 million worldwide, while the 2003 sequel earned $157 million. All told, the video game series, which launched in 1996, has accounted for more than $1 billion.