Lara Croft: Tomb Raider reboot in the works with Kathryn Bigelow rumoured to direct

Directors Catherine Hardwicke and Mimi Leder are also said to be in talks to helm a reboot of the 2000 female-led action movie

Lara Croft stars in the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (Corbis)

A reboot of the Tomb Raider film franchise that catapulted Angelina Jolie even further into the limelight is in the works, with three female directors reportedly on board to helm the movie.

Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow is said to be among the line-up, which also includes Twilight’s Catherine Hardwicke and Deep Impact director Mimi Leder, according to Hollywood news site The Tracking Board.

Bigelow, who has recently directed Iraqi war film The Hurt Locker and Osama bin Laden thriller Zero Dark Thirty, could lend gravitas to a film franchise that was criticised for its stylised action and bland plot when the first Tomb Raider movie was released in 2001.

The Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow could bring gravitas to the franchise (Getty Images)

Twilight director Hardwick would also be a good choice if producers want to steer the direction of the franchise into a teenage-friendly blockbuster.

Whoever does get the directing job will mark a new chapter in Hollywood action movies, which have traditionally seen men behind the camera. Simon West and Jan de Bont took on the original Tomb Raider movies that saw Jolie idolised as a sex symbol.

Hollywood can't turn it's back on female-led action films after the success of The Hunger Games (ENTERTAINMENT ONE)

With the success of The Hunger Games and the anticipation for the upcoming Wonder Woman film, Hollywood can not longer ignore audiences’ appetites for female-centred action movies.

Let’s hope whoever directs the reboot can make Lara Croft as strong as she is sexy.