Vikander channels spirit of Lara Croft
OFFICIAL photos of Oscar-award winning Swedish actress Alicia Vikander as video game character Lara Croft have been released.
The actress has been shooting the Tomb Raider film around Cape Town and the Western Cape in recent weeks.
Lara Croft originated in the Tomb Raider video game franchise launched in 1996 and was immortalised by Angelina Jolie in two movies released in 2001 and 2003, respectively Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Lara Croft: Cradle of Life.
An official synopsis of the reboot, which comes to cinemas next March, says Lara’s father – played by British actor Dominic West – mysteriously vanishes and, seven years after his disappearance, the 21-yearold Lara “has refused to take the reins of his global business empire, instead working as a bike courier in London while taking college classes”.
Somehow inspired to investigate her father’s disappearance, she “travels to his last known location: a tomb on an island somewhere off the coast of Japan”. Her endeavour requires the full force of “her sharp mind, blind faith and inherently stubborn spirit” and “if she survives this perilous adventure, it could be the making of her, earning her the name Tomb Raider”.
Walton Goggins (The Shield, The Hateful Eight, Justified) stars as the film’s villain and Daniel Wu (Badlands) will portray a ship’s captain who helps Lara’s quest. Vikander, who won an Oscar for her turn in the 2015 drama The Danish Girl, told Vanity Fair: “When I was asked to take on this role I got really excited: Lara Croft is a truly iconic character.”
Calling Lara “a model for many young women”, Vikander said: “She’s trying to carve out her place in the world and connect her future with her past.
“She also has a fantastic mix of traits: tough, smart, vulnerable, plus she’s kick ass!”