Daisy Ridley is the star of the biggest feature film franchise in the world, but she may soon be the star of two big franchises. While the newcomer just recently began filming Star Wars: Episode VIII, we knew her stellar breakout turn in Star Wars: The Force Awakens would lead to even more roles coming her way. Indeed, now Deadline reports that Ridley is one of a number of actresses being considered to take the lead in Warner Bros. and MGM’s reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise.

A new Tomb Raider film has been in the works for a while, but the reboot has been gaining steam lately as Norwegian filmmaker Roar Uthaug, whose thriller The Wave has garnered solid reviews on the festival circuit, was tapped to direct last fall. Deadline cautions that conversations with Ridley have yet to take place, and this is still incredibly early in the casting process, but her name is on a shortlist of actresses that the producers are considering to take the lead of the rebooted franchise.


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Based on the video game series of the same name, Tomb Raider follows the adventures of an English archaeologists in the vein of Indiana Jones. It remains to be seen if Ridley is even interested in starring in this series—she’s on a shortlist, but she could just as easily say “no thanks”—and one imagines she’s getting her fill of adventure with Star Wars.

Ridley is in a pretty plum position, having announced herself as an impeccably talented actress with The Force Awakens and now solidified as the lead of the new Star Wars trilogy. She has yet to take on another acting role in the wake of The Force Awakens, and she has the right to be mighty picky in choosing projects going forward. Is Tomb Raider too similar to Star Wars? Is there a fear of being typecast? Again, casting is in the very early stages and Ridley’s name isn’t the only one being considered, so I wouldn’t take this story to heart just yet. But it is interesting to see the type of actress WB and MGM are looking at to lead the new franchise—clearly they're going with a younger actress for the lead. Ridley’s a fantastic new talent, and any film currently in development would be lucky to have her.

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Image via Lucasfilm