In a pair of newly-revealed photos from Warner Bros., Tomb Raider fans are getting their official first look at Alicia Vikander as a series heroine, Lara Croft. The images show Vikander (Ex Machina) donning Lara’s classic tank top and cargo pants (RIP, shorts) and braving the elements on an island off the coast of Japan. In the first image, she is in a jungle wielding a knife; the second has her sea-side while holding a stick, ready for an attack.
Alicia Vikander in first official photos as Lara Croft
The film is being directed by Roar Uthaug (The Wave) and will capture a lot of Lara’s backstory and personality as we’ve come to understand it from the Tomb Raider reboot and the sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider. That being said, the movie is not directly tied to the games, but rather their narratives (specifically the 2013 game) are providing an inspiration for the movie’s storyline. Along with the images, Warner Bros. has also released the official description of the plot:
Lara Croft is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished when she was scarcely a teen. Now a young woman of 21 without any real focus or purpose, Lara navigates the chaotic streets of trendy East London as a bike courier, barely making the rent, and takes college courses, rarely making it to class. Determined to forge her own path, she refuses to take the reins of her father’s global empire just as staunchly as she rejects the idea that he’s truly gone.
Fast-forward seven years and Lara is motivated to solve her father’ mysterious death, even if it means going against his final wishes to do so. Lara’s searching takes her to his last known location: an island off the coast of Japan. This sounds like it could be playing into the premise of the first game, where Lara’s ends up on the island of Yamatai and has to unravel the legend of Queen Himiko in order to save her own life, as well as her best friend, Sam’s.
The Tomb Raider reboot will explore Lara’s humanity
So far there hasn’t been any mention of Sam, or any of the other crew members from the Endurance for that matter, but Lara’s father will be played by Dominic West (The Wire), and Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight) will be playing the villain.
Tomb Raider will be in theaters March 16, 2018. Let us know what you think of these new images!
Tori is a writer and gamer originally from Vault 111, but now she resides in Chicago. She has an MFA in creative writing-fiction, runs primarily on coffee, and is an expert on AMC’s The Walking Dead. Follow her on Twitter @torithatnerd.
