You may remember Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life with Angelina Jolie in the titular role from the early 2000s. Although there have been a number of Tomb Raider video games since then, the movie series has lain dormant. Now MGM and Warner Bros. are taking another crack at bringing the beloved franchise to the big screen, and they’ve chosen Alicia Vikander to portray series protagonist Lara Croft.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, the new film will be an origin story for the character, much like the phenomenal 2013 Tomb Raider video game that rebooted the series and reignited interest in the franchise. Croft—in her best iterations—is smart, resourceful, and more than capable of holding her own in the worst of circumstances, and we think Vikander is a great choice to play her. There’s no other casting news at the moment, but Norwegian director Roar Uthaug (The Wave) is on board to helm the project.
Vikander had a banner year in 2015, starring in Ex-Machina, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, Burnt, and winning an Oscar for her role in The Danish Girl. This year we’ll get to see her kick some ass in Jason Bourne, which could give us a decent idea of what her Lara Croft might be like.
There’s no indication of a release date for the new Tomb Raider yet, but with this news announced more info is surely coming. Until then, let us know what you think of Vikander’s casting in the comments below.
