Tomb Raider 3 Film To Reboot Lara Croft

A third Tomb Raider film is being made, and like the recent video game it will be used to reboot the franchise.

The movie - with possibly more to follow - is being developed by MGM in partnership with GK Films, but no casting details have been announced so far.

GK founder Graham King will serve as producer, and the two companies said development of the first film would begin "immediately".

King said: "The enthusiasm over the recent game release is very encouraging and we can't wait to bring it to the big screen."

The latest video game in the series, Tomb Raider, came out earlier this month to critical acclaim, presenting an initially more naive and less capable version of Lara.

GamesMaster magazine said the length and depth of the gameplay, and the "spectacular" last third of the game were its highlights.

The game features a young and ambitious Lara Croft, who as a recent archaeology graduate sets off to find the lost kingdom of Yamatai.

When Lara is shipwrecked and separated from her colleagues, she is forced to learn the survival and weapons techniques that were already second nature to her in the previous titles.

It is not yet known how closely - if at all - the MGM film will follow the story of the 2013 game.

The original title, which was also called Tomb Raider, was published in 1996 by London-based video game company Eidos and became one of the most successful video games of the time.

The Tomb Raider games were a pop culture phenomenon, selling more than 35 million games worldwide.

Lara Croft, along with Nintendo's Mario, is one of the most recognised names in gaming history.

She also became known for the 3D modelling which went into her appearance - with her chest size coming under fire from some quarters and being variously enlarged or reduced from game to game.

Lara Croft was also portrayed by a number of models for promotional photoshoots, such as Rhona Mitra and Nell McAndrew.

But it was Angelina Jolie who brought Lara to the big screen, playing the daredevil archaeologist in two Paramount films in 2001 and 2003.

They grossed \$432m (£285m) at the worldwide box office.

Eidos is now part of international interactive entertainment group Square Enix, which sold the film rights to GK in 2011.

The third movie had initially been expected to be released this year.