There are a few key roles in place for the 2018 feature film reboot ofTomb Raider: directorRoar Uthaug(The Wave) is in the captain’s chair with a script from debut screenwriterGeneva Robertson-Dworet, while Oscar-winnerAlicia Vikanderis set to play protagonist Lara Croft. The 28-year-old actor will take on the role made famous, on the big screen at least, byAngelina Jolie, who was 26 when the 2001 filmLara Croft: Tomb Raiderdebuted. But while Jolie’s take on the character found her ready-made as a veteran explorer, adventurer, and action hero, Vikander’s version will take Croft back to her roots.
In a chat withHey U Guysfor his upcoming filmAllied, producerGraham Kingconfirmed thatTomb Raider, which he’s also producing, would in fact be an origin story for Lara Croft. There has been a lot of rumor aboutTomb Raidergoing back to the drawing board since the recent video games were rebooted in much the same manner. The 2018 version now looks to be a fresh start for the character and the franchise.
Here’s what King had to say about the plot of the upcomingTomb Raidermovie:
“Well this is kind of what we call a ‘back to the roots story’. This is a young Lara Croft in search to see if her father is dead or alive, so it has a very emotional part to it and i think that’s what Alicia found so interesting about it. I think the storytelling is really good and i think we’ve got the right crew and a great director and I think it’s going to be really fun making a film like this”.
That lines up with what Vikander said in an interview with our ownSteve Weintraubearlier this year when asked about the blockbuster film:
VIKANDER: I think it’s – you know, with these big films – you just want to just – for me it’s really all about the filmmaker, and then of course the character and the story. I find that — big blockbuster movies, I grew up with, and some of them I love, and I think the thrill of being part of making one myself would be extraordinary. But it also comes down to, I met Roar [Uthaug] and I’d seenThe Waveand a few of his other Norwegian films and it’s with the kind of chance to make this story now, based on the rebooted game which is more of an origin story. You could intervene hopefully a great story and a great arc and then within that, have a very entertaining adventure film, which I loved those growing up. And I played the game when I was a kid [laughs]. Anyways, it was a really the real first protagonist I had seen in a video game at that point. And of course Angelina Jolie made her into an icon. So it’s cool to attempt to step into the shoes and we’re hoping to make something that will hopefully will be fresh and new.
Listen, I’m all in favor for more films with strong female protagonists, and so I’m all in on this. How might this version be different than the Angelina Jolie movies?
VIKANDER: I hadn’t played the new rebooted game when I met – and now I have and now it’s quite different. The kind of rebooted the game and it visually looks quite different and it’s like I said, it’s more of an origin story. You’re following this girl who, on her way to becoming what we all know her for, Tomb Raider, Lara Croft.
Are you excited to see Vikander take Lara Croft back to her roots? Let us know in the comments below!Tomb Raideris currently scheduled to open July 19, 2025.
