MGM’s Tomb Raider reboot was seen as a bit of a disappointment last year, earning just $274 million worldwide on a $96 million budget. Ironically, that is almost exactly the same amount that Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider made back in 2001, which was one of the biggest hits of that year. It’s funny how far the goal posts have moved in the past two decades. That being said, MGM is still pushing forward with a sequel and they have recruited a very interesting and unexpected director to make it happen: Ben Wheatley, the man behind such blood-soaked genre entries as Kill List and Free Fire. Hit the jump for more details.

According to Deadline, Ben Wheatley will direct Tomb Raider 2 for MGM and GK Films, taking over for Norwegian filmmaker Roar Uthaug, who helmed the original. Alicia Vikander will return in the lead role while Wheatley’s writing and producing partner Amy Jump will pen the script. The movie is scheduled to hit theatres on March 19th, 2021.

Wheatley has been rumoured for some big budget studio projects for a while now including a Marvel movie so it was probably just a matter of time before he found one that suited his sensibilities. In a way, Tomb Raider makes sense because it is more of a mid-range genre movie and they are probably giving him a lot more freedom than, say, Marvel would. Wheatley is currently putting the finishing touches on a Rebecca remake and he also has a recently announced zombie series in the works called Generation Z. Does this news make you more excited for Tomb Raider 2?