Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft: What's the future of video game adaptations?
Vikander will reportedly take on the role for an upcoming 'Lara Croft' film. Angelina Jolie starred as the video game character in two films, the first of which is still the highest-grossing video game film adaptation in the US.
Alicia Vikander arrives at the 9th Annual Women in Film Pre-Oscar Cocktail Party at Hyde Sunset Kitchen + Cocktails in Los Angeles.
Rich Fury/Invision/AP
Oscar-winning actress Alicia Vikander of "The Danish Girl" has reportedly been cast as the title character in an upcoming "Lara Croft" movie.
The character previously came to the screen in such movies as 2001's "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider," in which she was portrayed by Angelina Jolie. Lara appeared in the "Tomb Raider" video games, first released in 1996.
Like many other new versions of old properties, the upcoming film starring Ms. Vikander will be an origin story, according to the Hollywood Reporter, with the movie centering on a Lara who just beginning her journey as a swashbuckling archaeologist.
In addition to her Academy Award-winning performance in "Danish," Vikander has appeared in "Ex Machina," "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," and "Testament of Youth," among other films.
Monitor film critic Peter Rainer called her a "ferociously intuitive performer…you can’t take your eyes off her" in "Youth."
2001's "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" is still the highest-grossing film adaptation of a video game in the US. The "Lara Croft" series was never a success with critics, however.
The genre of video game adaptations has struggled, but this year will see various studios attempting to bring hit video games to the big screen.
The animated film "Ratchet & Clank," which is now in theaters, is based on a video game of the same name and next month will see "The Angry Birds Movie," an animated take on the popular phone game, arrive in theaters.
Meanwhile, one of the summer blockbusters that will appear this year is "Warcraft," which is based on the massively multiplayer roleplaying game "World of Warcraft" and stars Dominic Cooper, Paula Patton, and Ben Foster.
"This is a genre waiting to erupt," Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst at comScore, tells the Associated Press. "It's a huge untapped resource that's yet to be fully realized on the big screen and grab a huge audience."