Tomb Raider II: Movie in production!

The hype can begin again. Tomb Raider 2 is in production and crews have moved into the world famous Pinewood Studios to begin constructing the sets that have already made a name for the film’s franchise. But the rumour mill began turning some time ago, so we’ve collated all of the information we could find – some just rumour, some real – on what could prove to be one of THE summer 2003 blockbusters. The unconfirmed title of the film? Lara Croft and the Cradle of Life.

Firstly, as with last years film, the main rumours centred around the possibility of their being a new Lara for the role, with Angelina Jolie being discarded in favour of a new face. One time presenter of the early morning entertainment show The Big Breakfast and former model for Eidos game Deathtrap Dungeon, Kelly Brook was a name mentioned by more than one source. However, this has proved to be utter rubbish because as we reported on this very site before the original film came out, all the major parties signed onto to star in a maximum of three films from the outset.

Angelina then confirmed she is returning as Lara in an interview, also saying that the movie will feature underwater sections. These sequences will require substantial training and Angelina will be gearing up for the role with the ‘Cirque Du Soleil.’ She also said, “In the beginning of the first movie, we added padding to make me one cup size bigger. Also, I put on about 20 pounds for the role this made me look more muscley than curvy. And then, there were days when I was on my period that I was that much bigger. I'm really looking forward to going underwater in the next movie. I'm just curious about what gadgets can be used underwater - it's like James Bond.”

A few rumours surrounding the director Jan de Bont also appeared – one day he was rumoured on the project, the next he was and the next he wasn’t. It’s been confirmed that he’s at the helm now and for your information, the films he’s worked on include Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October, Basic Instinct, Speed 2, Twister and as a producer on the latest Spielberg epic, Minority Report.

Shooting is due to start at the end of August and the main story will revolve around Chen Lo, the head of a Chinese crime syndicate who’s a combination businessman/negotiator/killer. The shooting will reportedly take place in England and Greece after initial plans to shoot in Turkey were shelved. Finally, the first script review has been posted up and you can read it by clicking here. Be warned that there are minor spoilers in it though