'Tomb Raider' Reboot Taps 'Iron Man' Writing Duo

© Paramount Pictures

Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby have been tapped to write the new Tomb Raider movie project being produced by Graham King and Tim Headington.

King's GK Films acquired feature film rights to the classic video game featuring adventure-loving heroine Lara Croft from Square Enix about two months ago, with the goal of rebooting the action-adventure franchise  for a planned 2013 release of the first film.

The hiring of writers shows GK is serious about meeting that goal.

The company is today issuing a statement setting bold aspirations for the franchise, with the writers saying they want to create an "origin story for Lara Croft that solidifies her place alongside Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor in the pantheon of great female action heroes."

No actors have cast in the film. Angelina Jolie memorably played the character in 2001 an 2003 big-screen iterations made by Paramount.

Fergus and Ostby worked on Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men, earning an Oscar nomination in the best adapted screenplay category. They are credited on 2008's Iron Man and worked on Akira, the adaptation of the landmark Japanese animated movie in very active development at Warner Bros. They also were among several writers on this summer's Cowboys & Aliens, starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig.

Fergus and Ostby are repped by CAA.