By Ben Travis | Posted 4 Sep 2019

When 2018’s cinematic Tomb Raider reboot arrived, it pulled in a reasonable $274 million worldwide – not enough to guarantee a sequel, but not an insignificant box office haul. Now, following news earlier this year that a second instalment has indeed been greenlit, comes some surprising news – according to Deadline, Tomb Raider 2 will be helmed by none other than acclaimed British director Ben Wheatley – the man behind Kill List, Sightseers, Free Fire and more.

The sequel will bring Alicia Vikander back as Lara Croft, though little is confirmed plot-wise. The last Tomb Raider movie looks its cues fairly heavily from the 2013 game reboot that told Croft’s origin story and took her to a spooky island packed with booby traps and shrines to a fearsome ancient deity. The game’s sequel, 2015’s Rise Of The Tomb Raider, was even more acclaimed than its predecessor – and if Wheatley’s film does follow that instalment, expect Croft to venture into the frosty Siberian wilderness to find more treasure and once again come up against evil organisation Trinity.

It’s an interesting move for Wheatley, who has often dabbled in genre work – the folk horror freak-out of Kill List, the gonzo comedy of Sightseers, and two episodes of Peter Capaldi-era Doctor Who – but has also carved a niche for himself as a British indie auteur. He’s currently putting the finishing touches to a new take on Daphne Du Maurier’s Rebecca, starring Lily James and Armie Hammer, for Netflix. Wheatley’s Tomb Raider 2 will see him joined once again behind the scenes by his partner Amy Jump, who is on scripting duties. The film is pencilled in for a 19 March 2021 release.