New Tomb Raider film coming?

Following on from the huge box office success of the first two Tomb Raider films - despite the fact that they were a bit rubbish - rumour has it that Lara may get a third outing on the big screen.

That's according to The Business Online, which quotes 'Hollywood sources' as saying negotiations between Paramount Pictures and SCI have already begun.

Word is that Angelina Jolie, star of the first films, has "expressed an interest" in stepping into Lara's shorts once again - and there's even a rumour that Brad Pitt will have a small role in the movie, though we suspect that's just our old friend Internet Reports getting up to mischief again.

That said, there has been chatter about a third Tomb Raider film in the past. Early last year, film producer Lloyd Levin told US Official PlayStation Magazine that international returns on the first two films would more than justify a third. At the same time, Chris Barrie (he of Rimmer from Red Dwarf fame), who played Lara Croft's butler in the films, said a third was "on the slate" in an interview with trash-peddling red-top The Sun.

It's thought that Paramount paid Eidos, in the days before the SCI buyout, a one-off licensing fee for Tomb Raider when the first film was produced in 1998. Eidos also got a percentage of merchandise sales and box office takings

An Eidos spokesperson declined to comment on reports about a third film, telling Eurogamer: "We do not comment on rumours." But seeing as the first two movies grossed more than $450 million, and there's a new Tomb Raider game due out next year, it doesn't seem too unlikely that Lara will be returning to cinemas.