The new Tomb Raider is born, and while we here at RSR had hoped that Camilla Luddington would transfer her role as Lara Croft from video game to film, we are happy to announce that Ex Machina’s Alicia Vikander has landed the lead part in the franchise reboot.
Other actresses had been publicly talked up for the role, including Star Wars Daisy Ridley, however unnamed sources (noted by Variety.com) have said that Vikander was always the first preference for the role.
Vikander will be filling the shoes previously occupied by Angelina Jolie in the original “Tomb Raider” films released in 2001 and 2003 by Paramount Pictures. Films which grossed $432 million worldwide something MGM will surely hope to improve upon with its latest reboot.
The Tomb Raider video games, now owned by Square Enix, have sold over 35 million units worldwide. Square Enix released a reboot in 2013 with a younger Croft being sent off on her first big adventure in a game that easily measures up to the massively popular Uncharted series.
In 2016 Vikander won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Gerda Wegener in The Danish Girl. Vikander beat out performances Jennifer Jason Leigh (The Hateful Eight), Rooney Mara (Carol), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), and previous Academy Award winner Kate Winslet (Steve Jobs).
Tomb Raider fans will be able watch more of Vikander in the next movie in the Jason Bourne franchise, and “The Light Between Oceans” opposite Michael Fassbender with both films set for release in the second half of 2016.
Let us know what you think of the new Tomb Raider in the comments below.