Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, the screenwriting duo who helped launch Marvel Studios superhero franchise by writing the first Iron Man film, have been hired by producer Graham King to hopefully work similar magic for a rebooted Tomb Raider franchise.
King’s KG Films production banner acquired the film rights to the video game franchise two months ago, announcing that they planned to have a new Tomb Raider film in theaters in 2013. Previously, Paramount produced two Tomb Raider films with Angelina Jolie as the game’s buxom heroine Lara Croft.
This new planned film will not be a continuation of Paramount’s previous films, so don’t expect to see Jolie back in the tight t-shirt and beige shorts. Instead, KG Films announced Fergus and Ostby’s hiring by ambitiously stating that their new film be an “origin story for Lara Croft that solidifies her place alongside Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor in the pantheon of great female action heroes.”
In addition to Iron Man, Fergus and Ostby earned an Academy Award nomination for their work on Alfonso Cuaron’s Children Of Men. They were also part of the parade of writers who have worked on Warner brothers’ perpetually in-development live action version of the classic anime Akira. They have also reteamed with their Iron Man director Jon Favreau for Cowboys & Aliens due out later this summer.
