Given the success of the first Tomb Raider movie, it's no surprise that a second movie was almost immediately greenlighted, though there were a couple surprises in the form of cast and crew change-ups. Sure, Angelina Jolie will return to reprise here role as the leading lady, but oddly enough director Simon West (he of "Con Air" fame) will not be returning to direct the sequel.



That torch has been passed to Jan de Bont, a director with plenty of experience behind the camera, and no stranger to action flicks (Bont directed both "Speed" movies and tornado thriller "Twister"). The writing cast is also completely new, forgoing the previous movie's writing staff (including the adaptation work that Simon West did for the first movie). How these changes will affect the sequel of course remain to be seen, but the good news is that anyone interested in the sequel will have a wealth of information to soak in on the movie's recently opened web site.



The site, while still very much in the early stages as far as content goes, still offers a couple choice tidbits for fans, including desktop wallpaper, AIM icons, and the promise of Windows Media and Winamp skins in the future, along with an interesting pairing in the form of an interview with Jolie conducted by none other than BMX virtuoso Mat Hoffman.



For those looking for a little more movie-oriented goodness, there's plenty to take a gander at – including arguably the most attractive part of the site: the first ever teaser trailer for the movie. Constant updates from the different sets the movie will be shooting on, including the illustrious Pinewood Studios in the UK (the same studio they shoot all James Bond movies on), Greece, Kenya and finally Hong Kong. For those dying to drink in all the set detail, 360 degree iPIX shots of sets will be available in spoon-fed chunks as the site approaches the movie's premiere.



Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (yes, that's the full title), will hit theatres on July 25th. We'll be sure to pass along any major update news for the site that will doubtlessly be streaming our way courtesy of Eidos and Paramount PR.