ALICIA VIKANDER IS THE NEW LARA CROFT

“The Danish Girl” star Alicia Vikander has nabbed one of Hollywood's most coveted leading roles. Vikander will be playing Lara Croft in the MGM and GK Films' “Tomb Raider” reboot; it was announced Thursday. Norwegian helmer Roar Uthaug is on board to direct.

While other actresses had met for the role, including Daisy Ridley, sources indicate that Vikander had always been the first choice. The reason for the delay of announcement was that the studio was waiting for a new draft of the script, sources say.

MGM joined the project in 2013, acquiring rights to the popular video game to develop the feature. The original “Tomb Raider” was released in 1996 by London-based Eidos, and the games have sold over 35 million units. Paramount's two films of the franchise, starring Angelina Jolie as the British archaeologist, were released in 2001 and 2003 and grossed $432 million worldwide.

Vikander won an Oscar for her performance in “The Danish Girl”, and also garnered attention for her performance in “Ex Machina”. The actress' next movies are in the Jason Bourne franchise and “The Light Between Oceans” opposite Michael Fassbender.

Source: Variety