Anyone who's played the famous Square Enix Tomb Raider series of games can attest to how much of a bad ass the Lara Croft character truly is. Whether she's somersault vaulting her way up the Himalayan Mountains, smashing priceless relics to dust in an Aztec sepulcher or warding off supernatural beasties with the use of a divine artifact, Lara Croft is without a doubt one of video games' most capable heroines. With all of that in mind, it's no wonder that Raor Uthaug is looking to reboot Croft for another big screen expedition, as he directs the gorgeous and physically assertive actress Alicia Vikander for TOMB RAIDER.
Recently, the award winning actress has been giving it her all as she prepares to represent the Lara Croft character, and today we've got a set of brand-new photos and an official plot synopsis to share with you.
Here are the details regarding the plot of TOMB RAIDER:
"Seven years after the disappearance of her father, 21-year-old Lara has refused to take the reins of his global business empire, instead working as a bike courier in London while taking college classes. Eventually she becomes inspired to investigate her father’s disappearance and travels to his last-known location: a tomb on an island somewhere off the coast of Japan. Suddenly, the stakes couldn’t be higher for Lara, who—against the odds and armed with only her sharp mind, blind faith and inherently stubborn spirit—must learn to push herself beyond her limits as she journeys into the unknown. If she survives this perilous adventure, it could be the making of her, earning her the name tomb raider."
In regard to Vikander's rigorous training regimen for the film, Magnus Lygdbäck was in charge of whipping the already-toned actress into shape for her upcoming excursion. Recently, while participating in an interview with Self magazine, Lygdbäck stated, "Seven months before filming, I started Alicia on a nutrition plan for her to gain muscle and to boost her metabolism." Lygdbäck also instructed Vikander to view a series of video workouts "consisting of mostly weight lifting to build muscle and movement training to help build her into the Lara Croft character." If that doens't sound grueling, what if I told you that this was as assigned just as a part of Vikander's warmup routine?
In his instruction, Lygdbäck uses what is known as the "Magnus Method" in his workouts, which combines physical movement, nutrition and sports psychology as its base methodologies. Magnus claims that the method involves "embracing the thos of an athlete." Before cameras started rolling, Vikander's routine involved a full-time schedule consisting of heavy lifting five to six days a week, climbing two or three times a week, and boxing and MMA four times a week. Furthermore, the pair banged out a few hours of near-daily stunt rehearsals. After two intense months of near non-stop preparation, Lygdbäck placed the actress on a new eating plan and cut her workouts down to 30 minutes of HIIT (high intensity inteval training) in the morning, and 45-minute gym sessions in the afternoon.
Wow! Honestly though, the best way for you to see the amazing results of Lygdbäck's methods and Vikander's hard work are these brand-new photos from the set of the film:
Also included in the interview with Self was director Raor Uthaug who shared his thoughts on the process of making TOMB RAIDER, "What’s different about this Tomb Raider movie is that it’s an origin story for the big screen, focusing not only on Lara’s strength and physical accomplishments but her humanity. We see Lara as a young woman, smart and capable but largely unfocused, and follow her on a dangerous journey that will push her to her limits in every sense, and allow her to hone the skills she needs to ultimately become who she was meant to be. As Lara Croft, Alicia Vikander is brilliant. She brings great depth to a complex role that is both physically and emotionally demanding"
As a major fan of both Alicia Vikander and the Lara Croft character, I can't wait to see what Uthaug has cooked up for this enticing reboot! From the look of things, everyone involved in the film appear to be giving the production their all and that counts for plenty in my book.
TOMB RAIDER is expected to explore theaters beginning on March 16, 2018.
ARE YOU EXCITED FOR THE TOMB RAIDER REBOOT? LET US KNOW IN THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW!