The Tomb Raider reboot adds Into the Badlands star Daniel Wu to its cast!
MGM and Warner Bros. has announced that the upcoming Tomb Raider movie reboot, starring Alicia Vikander of The Danish Girl, and this is your one-stop shop for Tomb Raider movie news.
The latest? Variety reports that Daniel Wu (Into the Badlands) has been cast in the Tomb Raider reboot alongside Vikander. Wu will play Lu Ren, "a ship captain who partners with Croft on a quest to find her father," which gives us just a little bit more information about the plot. Um, it will probably involve a sea voyage.
Here's everything else we know so far about the 2018 Tomb Raider reboot film...
Tomb Raider Movie Cast
Oscar-winning actress Alicia Vikander will star as Lara Croft in the upcoming Tomb Raider film from MGM, Warner Bros, and GK Films, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The 28-year-old Swedish actress has been making a lot of waves in Hollywood. In the past few years, Vikander has enjoyed starmaking turns in The Danish Girl and Ex Machina,with other recent/upcoming films including The Light Between Oceans with Michael Fassbender and Rachel Weisz, Tulip Fever with Judy Dench and Christoph Waltz, and Jason Bourne with Matt Damon and Julia Stiles.
As we reported, Star Wars: The Force Awakens star Daisy Ridley was previously in talks to star in the film. While Ridley would have made a great Lara, too, no doubt the Star Wars films are keeping her very busy. And Vikander is another great choice. The young actress has proven herself in everything from period drama to science fiction to romance, and made it look easy.
Vikander is currently one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood right now, so this is a big boon for the Tomb Raider reboot. As a former ballerina, the actress also has the physicality necessary to pull off such an action-oriented role.
Tomb Raider Movie Villain
We also know that Walton Goggins (Justified) has been cast as the film's villain.
In December, Variety reported that Goggins was finalizing negotiations to jump onboard the 2018 Tomb Raider reboot movie as the villain.
The industry demand for the veteran actor Goggins has become especially strong recently, having come off powerfully memorable television roles on FX's Justified and Sons of Anarchy, a hilariously sinister and flamboyant foil for Danny McBride on HBO's Vice Principals, as well as film appearances in The Hateful Eight and Mojave; a recent discography that shows a range amenable for a villain run in this Tomb Raider tentpole revival.
Tomb Raider Movie Story
The Tomb Raider film is set to be directed by Norwegian director Roar Uthaug (The Wave) and will use the most recent Tomb Raider video games, which focus on a younger Lara Croft on her first big adventure, as source material. Uthaug said of the project:
I think making Lara Croft feel like a real human being, that’s definitely something we want to bring to the big screen as well. I think we’ll want to make people relate to Lara as a character. I’m hoping to bring some of my Norwegian sensibilities to the franchise.
Raiders of the Lost Ark was one of my favorite films growing up, so it’s definitely a dream to work in that kind of genre. I think we’ll want to make it feel like a modern action movie and to make what’s going on feel like it’s going on for real.
Tomb Raider Movie Release Date
Previously, Lara Croft was brought to the big screen in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, both starring Angelina Jolie in the title role. The latter of which came out in 2003, which means it has been more than a decade since we've had a Lara Croft film. Alas, the long wait is almost over. The Tomb Raider reboot is expected to hit cinemas on March 16, 2018.