First Tomb Raider Set Photos Show Vikander in Action ⋆

The first photos have leaked from the set of the newest Tomb Raider film currently filming in South Africa. Taken during what appears to be a major action set piece, star Alicia Vikander is captured performing some impressive-looking stunts.

Vikander is definitely showing the sort of athletic prowess you’d hope to see from a platforming icon like Lara Croft, especially considering the film is based on the recent Tomb Raider reboot from 2013. Vikander describes the source material as “more of an origin story. You get into an emotional aspect of getting to know Lara hopefully in an in-depth way.”

From the photos alone, it’s clear that influence is displaying itself already in a newfound sense of realism. Already the costume of Lara Croft is more like the modern interpretation than the hypersexualized nineties original. While Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft was pristine, Vikander is gritty. She’s covered in dirt, sweat, and even blood, with field bandages wrapped around her arm and leg and distinctive tan from time spent adventuring outdoors. She looks like she could take you in a fight. It’s a shift comparable to that between Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig’s James Bonds and I couldn’t be more into the approach this film is taking.

Are you looking forward to the reboot of the Tomb Raider film franchise? Or are you a game purist? Maybe you still have a soft spot for Angelina Jolie? Let us know what you think.