Tomb Raider Back From the Grave
All of you who were waiting anxiously for more Tomb Raider can breathe a sigh of relief: The Hollywood Reporter says that Warner Brothers and the video game company that created Lara Croft are bringing her back to the big screen, in yet another “reboot” rather than a traditional sequel. Will Angelina Jolie‘s painful English accent be making a return appearance? Don’t bet on it.
Verdict: The first Raider made $275 million worldwide, and the second $157; expect the third to drop at least another $100 million. I see this one going the way of Resident Evil.

No Dinobots in Transformers 2
Sorry diehards, the Dinobots are out. Simon Furman, who writes the Transformers comic and served as a consultant on the Michael Bay film, told MTV “if they could come up with an appropriate rationale and integral reason for them being in there, fine, but it’d need to be good, otherwise it would all start to verge on the kitsch.” Right. We wouldn’t want to risk that.
Verdict: The movie is so ridiculous that one more moment of silliness would hardly bring down the house of cards, but I won’t be pained by their absence.

Hilary Duff to Star in The Story of Bonnie and Clyde
Disney channel pop tartlet Hilary Duff will play Bonnie Parker, half of the infamous bank robbing duo immortalized by Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty in 1967′s Bonnie and Clyde. Fine, it’s not actually a remake, but why open yourself up to comparison with an Oscar-nominated performance in one of the classic films of all time? It’d be like casting her as a Vietnam combat nurse who sings to her patients and calling it Apocalypse, Too.
Verdict: I’m sure there’s a comfortable niche for Duff as she transitions from tween queen to ingénue. This, however, ain’t it.

Robert Rodriguez to Reboot Predator?
Horror site BloodyDisgusting.com recently reported that Robert Rodriguez and his Troublemaker Studios will be rebooting Predator, the 1987 Schwarzenegger/Carl Weathers/Jesse Ventura vehicle that brought us the phrase “I wouldn’t wish that on a broke-d*ck dog.”
Verdict: The remake machine claims another victim. But I like Rodriguez, and if he’s closely involved, this could be good. (It could also be Spy Kids in the Jungle.)

Fox Picks up Disney-Dumped Chronicles of Narnia
Weak box office for Prince Caspian nudged Disney toward dropping the rights to the Narnia series, which could run to seven movies. But just a month later Fox stepped into the breach, keeping The Voyage of the Dawn Treader on track for a Christmas 2010 release.
Verdict: No surprise that Narnia found a new home; Caspian may not have performed to expectations, but it still made a pile of money. The books get wrapped up in a lot of drawn out knights ‘n’ knaves battles, though, and Dawn Treader may not be the ideal place to take over the series.

Kung Fu Panda Director Takes on He-Man
Variety reports that KFP co-director John Stevenson will make He-Man and the Masters of the Universe his live-action directing debut.
Verdict: Do we really need more movies that started out as toys? What’s next, Slinky: The Musical?

Tags: bonnie and clyde, tomb raider, transformers 2: revenge of the fallen