Alicia Vikander To Play Lara Croft In ‘Tomb Raider’ Reboot

Alicia Vikander, one of Hollywood’s fastest rising stars, has landed the part of Lara Croft in the much-anticipated Tom Raider reboot.

Alicia Vikander Is Lara Croft

Vikander will be following in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft, the titular tomb raider in the new movie that will be directed by Roar Uthaug. It had previously been speculated that Star Wars: The Force Awakens star Daisy Ridley would get the role. However, Vikander was apparently the first choice, according to Variety. The official offer was made after a new script draft for Tomb Raider was sent to the studio.

The Tomb Raider sequel has been in the works since 2013, after MGM acquired the rights to the video game with Graham King’s GK Films – which had acquired the rights from Square Enix in 2011.

The original Tom Raider movie starring Jolie as the British archaeologist hit theaters in 1996. Lucrative sequels followed in 2001 and 2003.

Vikander is coming off a busy 2015, which saw the release of the critically acclaimed Ex Machina, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Danish Girl, for which she won an Oscar for her performance. In 2016, Vikander will be seen in Tulip Fever, Jason Bourne, and The Light Between Oceans. She’s currently filming Submergence with James McAvoy.