Third Tomb Raider film slated

You know how, sometimes, you read something on a website and you just think "Oh for f...'s sake"? Of course you do - you just read the above headline! That's right. Despite the last game being critically mauled by everybody who played it (with the exception of those folks who had exclusive/world first reviews, unsurprisingly), and the dismal failure of the second movie, which was so completely devoid of entertainment that it didn't even inherit the cheesily engrossing popcorn flick feel of the first release, producer Lloyd Levin has told the US Official PlayStation Magazine that international returns more than justify a concluding part in what is now being referred to as a "trilogy". Damn you international returns!

Alas, there are other factors pointing to the production of a third and hopefully final chapter in the wannabe-franchise apart from Mr Levin's comments. For a start, it's been widely reported that Lara Croft herself Ms. Angelina Jolie originally signed on for a three-picture deal, which would put her squarely (or curvily) back inside the familiar Tomb Raider wardrobe for a third film. What's more, British comedian Chris Barrie (who most people recognise as Rimmer from Red Dwarf, and who played quirky butler Hillary in both films) recently told the Sun newspaper that "There is a third Tomb Raider film on the slate."

If a third Tomb Raider movie really gets off the ground, we'd speculate that Paramount might time it to coincide with the release of the next console game from Crystal Dynamics and Eidos, assuming the film company has gotten over the state of the Angel of Darkness game, which it blamed largely for dwindling box office receipts after the film's second week fall-off proved disastrous.

Barrie also offered his suggestions for a possible script. "The perfect storyline would be that Hillary turns out to be both the arch-baddie and Lara's love interest! Although I'm not sure how Angelina would feel about that," he joked. Still - that sounds a lot better than what we're expecting, Chris, to be perfectly honest.