Paramount Pictures acquired the film rights to the Tomb Raider franchise in early 1998, and the project went through numerous screenwriters and drafts between 1998 and 2000, causing significant delays.
Early script versions were radically different from the final film, including an R-rated horror pitch involving the Egyptian Book of the Dead, a story about finding El Dorado in the Caribbean and Ecuador, a version featuring alien creatures impregnating Lara, and a draft centered on finding the Library of Alexandria.
Some drafts by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary included horror elements such as hallucinogenic fungal spores causing nightmarish visions and a fight against the demon dog Cerberus, none of which made it into the final film.
Director Simon West wrote the shooting script himself by combining elements from the Massett and Zinman draft (which he considered the best) with parts of all the previous scripts.
Steven E. de Souza's unused script material, originally written for the first film, was later reused in the sequel Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, earning him a story credit on that film.
Many actresses were considered or rumored for the role of Lara Croft, including Jennifer Love Hewitt, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jennifer Lopez, Ashley Judd, and Sandra Bullock, while Neve Campbell turned down the role due to her commitments to Party of Five.
The casting of Angelina Jolie was controversial among fans since she is American playing a British character, and some criticized her tattoos and publicized personal life; director Simon West defended the choice by referencing Jolie's real-life fondness for knife play, which he felt matched Lara's character.
Angelina Jolie wore a padded bra to enhance her bust size for the role, going from her natural 36C to Lara's 36D, though she noted the character was even larger (double D) in the games.
Jon Voight, Angelina Jolie's real-life father, plays Lara's father Richard Croft in the film, and the two actors wrote their scenes together after Jolie pushed for more backstory between the characters.
The film was the first major motion picture to be shot in Cambodia since Lord Jim in 1964, following the country's occupation by the Khmer Rouge regime, with location filming taking place at the Ta Prohm temple in Angkor.
Principal photography ran from July 30 to November 30, 2000, with much of the production taking place on the 007 Stage at Pinewood Studios, and Hatfield House in Hertfordshire standing in for Croft Manor.
Several composers worked on the score before the final version was chosen: Nathan McCree (composer of the original Tomb Raider games) was first hired, then Danny Elfman wrote a theme, then Michael Kamen composed a full score, but all were rejected after re-editing; Graeme Revell was ultimately brought in and had to compose sixty minutes of music in just ten days.
Simon West's original director's cut ran 130 minutes, but he was removed from post-production and editor Stuart Baird was brought in to cut it down to 88 minutes; Baird was reportedly promised the director's job on Star Trek: Nemesis in exchange for re-editing this film and Mission: Impossible 2.
Due to post-production running longer than expected, some major visual effects were left unfinished by the time the film was released in theaters.
Angelina Jolie's nude scenes, including an extended shower scene and a scene of her dropping a towel, were cut from the film to secure a PG-13 rating, after Eidos Interactive had insisted no nudity be shown; Jolie later said she was disappointed that Lara's sex appeal was toned down.
The film's opening weekend broke the box office record for a film with a female protagonist, previously held by Scary Movie, and the record for a video game adaptation opening, previously held by Pokémon: The First Movie.
Despite generally negative reviews from critics, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it only 20% positive and IGN awarding it a 0.0 'Disaster' rating, the film grossed $274.7 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-grossing video game adaptations at the time.
