Alicia Vikander performs her own stunts as Lara Croft in new photos from next year's Tomb Raider movie. Of course, this isn’t the first time Tomb Raider has been adapted for the big screen. Angelina Jolie played Lara Croft in both Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and its 2003 sequel The Cradle of Life. While Jolie picked up great reviews for her take on Lara and the film’s featured some impressive setpieces, they were generally panned by critics and fans for their campy tone and undercooked storylines.
Jolie ruled out returning for a third adventure following the underperformance of The Cradle of Life, and the movie franchise was put on ice until a reboot starring Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) was announced in 2016. This new take is based on the acclaimed 2013 Tomb Raider game, which rebooted the series and followed Lara as a newbie to the tomb raiding lifestyle. It was a darker, grittier take on the character and led to a renewed interest in the franchise.
Related: Tomb Raider Reboot Borrows Heavily From the Games
Some new photos have emerged for Tomb Raider, courtesy of Total Film (via GamesRadar). They don’t reveal much in terms of story, but they reinforce how close the new film is following the 2013 game. The story will find Lara on a quest to find her late father’s (Dominic West) research and uncover the secrets hidden on the island where he disappeared. Since this is Lara’s first adventure though, she’s likely in for a tough time. You can check out the photos in the gallery below.
[vn_gallery name="Tomb Raider Total Film Images" id="1140223"]
While Vikander looks like a natural to the action genre, Tomb Raider hasn’t done much to get fans excited. The reaction to its trailer was muted at best, and so far the most memorable thing about the movie is Vikander’s bizarrely photoshopped neck on the first poster. Video game movies are generally treated with suspicion, as they rarely live up to their source material. While the 2013 game felt like a fresh start for the character, it remains to be seen if the film will do the same thing for Lara Croft on the big screen.
Still, Tomb Raider has a great director in Roar Uthang (The Wave) and the supporting cast includes Walton Goggins on villain duties, Daniel Wu, and Nick Frost. The film’s producer Adrian Askarieh is apparently also mulling a movie universe with other Eidos titles like Hitman, Thief and Just Cause. Jason Momoa was cast in the lead of the Just Cause movie back in March 2017 and a Hitman TV series is in development, though the shared universe concept will probably depend on how well Tomb Raider does.
MORE: New Tomb Raider Poster Offers Closer Look At Lara Croft
Source: Total Film (via GamesRadar)
