Alicia Vikander Reflects On Taking Over 'Tomb Raider' From Angelina Jolie

Even with Angelina Jolie's name attached to the franchise, Tomb Raider has struggled to produce a film installment that has earned both critical and commercial success. Tomb Raider has been a household name for video game fans for years and spawned an era of gaming adaptations, but Alicia Vikander has to bring more to the table than just the signature look to improve the series' reputation. When it was announced that the Tomb Raider film franchise would be rebooted, fan anticipation was high, especially after the first images of the new Lara Croft were released.

With such an iconic role, Vikander understood from the beginning that it would require something extra from her as an actress.

I've never done action scenes on this level—not even close. It feels like I'm back to dancing—the training, the intensity. You need to be aware of your movement up in the wires and how your body works.

Yet through all the intense training to bulk up her petite 5'5" figure, Vikander understood that she was not only becoming the iconic character, she was also taking on a role with high stakes because of Angelina Jolie's version. The star joked with Elle Magazine:

I thought I was going to have to explain it to my mom, and she was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah—Angelina did that!' It proves that [Jolie] set a whole tone for that kind of role, so I knew we had to do something very different.

Vikander is taking her role in the highly scrutinized franchise reboot seriously and, based on what we've seen so far, the film looks to be heading in the right direction. The new chapter will be based on the latest iteration of the character from the video game series, which went through its own reboot of sorts in 2013 through Crystal Dynamics.

Tomb Raider is expected to hit theaters on March 16, 2018 and also stars Dominic West, Walter Goggins and Daniel Wu.

(Sources: E!Online | Elle | Vanity Fair)