This article comes fromDen of Geek UK.
But theres nothing that can quite match the cultural impact when Lara Croft first arrived on the scene.
The firstTomb Raidertitle was the right game at the right time.
Sonys PlayStation console the original one was booming, andTomb Raiderbrought a fresh lead character to videogaming.
Not a particularly anatomically-proportional one, it should be noted.
Lara Croft broke into the mainstream, where Miner Willy (look him up) had not.
It was 1996 whenTomb Raiderwas first released, and the battle for film rights commenced quickly.
After a fierce fight, it thus inked a deal in conjunction with producer Lawrence Gordon and Paramount Pictures.
TheTomb Raidermovie was set to happen.
However, a tough bargain was negotiated.
Paramount had to move, and move quickly.
Scripts were thus commissioned, and plenty of writers had a go.
Brett V Friedman (Mortal Kombat: Annihilation) came up with a screenplay that wasnt used.
Steven E De Souza, ofDie HardandStreet Fighter: The Moviefame, also put together a draft.
But to no avail.
There was precious little sign of the film going before the cameras.
Working alongside this, though, Paramount was seeking a director.
He was open to a big film to make, and Paramount had one that needed making.
It didnt have a script, but at leastTomb Raiderhad a director.
He hires four writers to do four or five different drafts.
Crucially, the risk of losing the rights meant there was no time to stand back and think.
Whilst West was sorting that out, then-Paramount boss Sherry Lansing was limiting the studios exposure.
But that firm also signs agreements that makes their ownership of the film a temporary one.
And you wondered why accountants all drove flashy cars.
It then pre-sold the rights to the film in six countries before the movie had been shot.
The story of casting the role of Lara Croft has been well told.
It was a debate that covered drug testing, breast size, and studio confidence.
It would not be unfair to say you could tell.
When the first preview screening of the film took place, it was terrible, Sherry Lansing recalled.
I was in this screening room, and I was so disappointed.
It was well shot and well-acted, but it was completely disjointed.
The story made no sense.
It papered over some of the cracks, but more pertinently, so did the films marketing.
It was a turning point for Lansings tenure at Paramount.
As the bookLeading Ladynotes, she knew it was a triumph of marketing over content, hype over reality.
And he was correct.
And Lansing herself would leave her long-standing Paramount job just a few years after.
Well see how she fares when Alicia Vikander brings the character to the screen next year…
The book Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing And The Making Of A Hollywood Groundbreaker is available now.
