Just a few weeks ago, the Alicia Vikander-led Tomb Raider sequel was revealed to have been cancelled following much speculation about the franchise's future. It's still unclear as to what lies ahead for the property as another studio seeks to gain the rights. But some are already fancasting new actresses for the lead role, and Aubrey Plaza has emerged as a candidate. I can’t imagine a better Lara Croft and, apparently, neither can Edgar Wright. With that, Plaza shared some thoughts on possibly taking over the iconic role

While speaking to Newsweek, the star talked about how famed director Edgar Wright couldn’t get over the visual similarities between Lara Croft and her Emily the Criminal character. She revealed:

I can totally see it. Aubrey Plaza may just be the person to lead a new brand-new iteration of this franchise. The character has already been portrayed on the big screen twice, but maybe the third time’s the charm? Angelina Jolie portrayed Croft twice, once in 2001 and again in 2003. In 2018, Alicia Vikander took over the role for Warner Bros.' reboot.

Though the 2018 film was a moderate box office success, the studio still seemed to be set on making a follow-up. By early 2021, a Tomb Raider sequel was said to be in development, with Lovecraft County creator Misha Green attached to direct. There had been few updates on Alicia Vikander's sequel before it was ultimately scrapped. However, anything can still happen. Edgar Wright seems to have beeen the first to identify the similarities between Croft and the Parks and Recreation alum. Maybe she and Wright could get behind it once the franchise finds a new studio home.

Of course, there's still a question that needs to be asked: Would Aubrey Plaza even be open to playing Lara Croft in another Tomb Raider film? Well, based on her comments in the same interview, she seems willing to give it a go, especially since she's a fan of blockbuster films:

Someone has to make this happen. The visual similarities aside, Aubrey Plaza has more than proven at this point that she's a strong performer who can work within different genres. And quite frankly, it'd be great to see her get more action-centric roles. (Many even believe Plaza could be perfect for some Marvel characters.) On top of all that, she'd love to host the Oscars and become "this generation's Billy Crystal." She's truly a woman who can do it all.

We're just going to have to wait and see if the star does indeed land the lead role in another Tomb Raider reboot. Though after Edgar Wright's observation, it's going to be really hard not to picture anyone else in the role but the Happiest Season alum. Let's hope that she at least gets a shot at an audition at some point in the future.

We may have to wait a while before we get to see the next iteration of Lara Croft but, in the meantime, you can catch Aubrey Plaza in Emily the Criminal, which is playing in theaters now. For more news on recent theatrical releases and upcoming films, check out CinemaBlend's 2022 movie schedule.

As far as video game movies go, 2018’s Tomb Raider performed pretty well, earning better critical reception than the Angelina Jolie-led Tomb Raider movies and making over $274 million worldwide. As such, MGM planned to bring Alicia Vikander back for another round as Lara Croft, but Tomb Raider 2 hasn’t made a lot of progress forward as the years have passed. Well, apparently the sequel has been completely  scrapped due to a bidding war starting for the Tomb Raider film rights.

Word’s come in that MGM had until this past May to officially greenlight Tomb Raider 2, and with that window having passed, the production company has lost the film rights to this popular video game property. The Wrap has heard that “a host” of Hollywood film studios are now putting in bids for these rights. Should another Tomb Raider movie happen elsewhere, it will be another complete reboot, with Alicia Vikander no longer being attached to reprise Lara Croft.

Earlier this year, Embracer Group acquired various assets from Square Enix, including the Tomb Raider franchise and its developer, Crystal Dynamics, for $300 million. Going back to 2011, producer Graham King and his GK Films banner acquired the Tomb Raider film rights, so now GK and Embracer are shopping around for a new place to set up the IP. 

2018’s Tomb Raider was directed by Roar Uthaug and written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons. It followed Alicia Vikander’s Lara Croft embarking on a journey to uncover the mystery of her father’s disappearance, which happened when she was a child. Vikander was joined in the cast by Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Kristin Scott Thomas, Derek Jacobi, Hannah John-Kamen and Nick Frost, among others. It was one of a handful of video game-related movies to come out in 2018, with its cohorts include Ready Player One and Rampage.

When Tomb Raider 2 first entered development, Amy Jump was brought in to write the script, and months later, Ben Wheatley, Jump’s husband, signed on to direct. But by early 2021, Lovecraft Country’s Misha Green was tapped to replace both Jump and Wheatley as writher and director. In July of that same year, Green said that she still expected to tackle Tomb Raider 2, but it hadn’t been officially greenlit yet. In the months to follow, it became unclear what exactly was happening with Tomb Raider 2, but now we know that the project has been shelved, and a new beginning is coming for the Tomb Raider film franchise.

It may be a while until we learn what’s next for Tomb Raider in the film world, but once that information is revealed to the public, CinemaBlend will pass that along. Until then, read through our 2022 release schedule and 2023 release schedule to learn what movies will be arriving in the near future.

When it comes to an actor’s job, we often focus on the incredible aspects – such as getting to travel to incredible locations to play characters for a living, filming badass stunt scenes or being recognized by your work by your peers and moviegoers. Alicia Vikander can check off all those things off the list within her career thus far, but recently she got blunt about one aspect of the industry she has felt especially uncomfortable about: nudity and intimate scenes. 

Vikander, who has made waves as the entrancing lead of Ex Machina, our latest Lara Croft in 2018’s Tomb Raider and an actress who frequents other acclaimed movies like The Man From U.N.C.L.E and The Green Knight, shared with Harper’s Bazaar her feelings on shooting nude and sex scenes over the years. In her words:   

Even for Alicia Vikander, who admits to totally owning being in her own skin on sets, she still calls shooting intimate scenes “the worst.” It sounds like it has to do a lot with the protocols on set, with productions having so many moving parts and not having outlined guidelines to protect the actor undressing and simulating sex in front of a busy cast and crew. 

Vikander recalled a moment when she felt she should have been “looked after” but wasn’t. We don’t know what movie she’s referring to, but as the actress shared, she has stripped down for a number of her films over the years including Ex Machina, The Danish Girl, Tulip Fever and Earthquake Bird. 

In recent years, there’s been an uptick in the use of intimacy coordinators on the set of movies and TV shows like Bridgerton where sex and nudity are part of the production. Intimacy coordinators make sure there is context to intimacy in a project, make sure communication takes place among the participants and avenues for reporting of harassment is put in place, along with making sure the scenes include consent, are performed according to previously agreed-upon choreography, per Intimacy Directors International.  

These pillars of safe intimacy were created officially only six years ago, meaning that prior to that many productions were exposed to having less sensitive nude and sex scenes occur on set. One example is the controversial scene in Basic Instinct, where Sharon Stone has since claimed that she was asked to remove her underwear for lighting purposes and assured her genitalia would not be captured, yet in the scene all was seen. The director has refuted her claims. If there had been an intimacy coordinator on set, the he said, she said of it likely wouldn’t still be a conversation. 

Alicia Vikander’s next project is a miniseries called Irma Vep, which will premiere at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival before becoming available to stream with an HBO Max subscription. Next, she’ll reportedly return to Lara Croft in a sequel for Tomb Raider, being written and directed by Lovecraft Country’s Misha Green. 

There are some performers in Hollywood whose current absence in superhero movies puzzles me, because they seem extremely qualified for the gig. Take, for example Alicia Vikander - a Swedish-born Academy Award winner (for her supporting role in The Danish Girl) who also promptly established herself as an action star (in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. from 2015, and as the new Lara Croft in 2018’s Tomb Raider reboot) and is married to a long time veteran of the Marvel movies (X-Men movies’ Magneto, Michael Fassbender). 

Based on all of that criteria alone, I have very little doubt that the actress’ comic book movie debut is right around the corner, and I have a few characters from the pages of Marvel Comics in mind, starting with one that reminds me a lot of her breakthrough English-language role.

Jocasta

While few would dispute that Alicia Vikander deserved her Oscar for The Danish Girl, I think the performance that demands just as much (if not more) recognition was as the extremely life-like android Ava in 2014’s Ex Machina - a riveting, technophobic tale from writer and director Alex Garland. I think it would be a lot of fun to see the actress introduced into the Marvel Cinematic as a similar character - namely Jocasta, whom Ultron created to be his own bride by uploading the consciousness of Janet Van Dyne into a robotic host before her “soul” revived as a more heroic ally and, later, an Avenger. 

A few creative liberties would likely be required, especially with Tony Stark and Bruce Banner being Ultron’s creators instead of Hank Pym, and the fact that Ultron is (currently) out of operation, but Vikander would be able to make it her own in a most beautiful way. 

Appraiser

Speaking of making things her own in a most beautiful way, however you may have felt about the 2018 Tomb Raider movie (especially if you are a fan of Angelina Jolie’s take on Lara Croft), you have to admit that Alicia Vikander did a wonderful job reinventing that character. She is the sole reason I am hoping we actually do get to see Tomb Raider 2, but in case that follow-up is destined to become forever lost in development hell, there is still a chance the actress could continue her trek as a globe-trotting fortune finder in the MCU as Appraiser. 

Very little is actually known about the pink-haired treasure hunter, who was first seen teamed up with a pirate named Stripmine as the mutant-killing Sentinels attacked the island of Genosha, but that just gives Vikander more freedom make the character into something new for the big screen.

Abigail Brand

On the other hand, there is another badass Marvel heroine who originally debuted in an issue of X-Men (and has a unique hair-style) that Alicia Vikander is probably more deserving to play in a movie (or TV show), and that would be Abigail Brand. The green-haired half-alien, half-mutant was once an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. until her vast knowledge of extra-terrestrial activity, bold leadership skills, and unabashed resilience earned her the pleasure of taking over S.W.O.R.D. (a special organization introduced in the MCU on WandaVision) when she was just 28. 

She is also a major player in the Secret Invasion comic book storyline so, unless Emilia Clarke is playing the character in the Secret Invasion TV show, it would be pretty cool to see Vikander become her when we finally see the franchise bring Brian Michael Bendis’ acclaimed crossover event to life.

Spider-Woman

You know what? I think there might be an even more badass, resilient, mutant Marvel heroine which Alicia Vikander would be even more deserving and appropriate to play, and I base this claim partially on fan suggestions and online rumors that the actress has been considered for the role in question. 

Reportedly, actress-turned-filmmaker Olivia Wilde is preparing to direct a Marvel movie for Sony, which is more than likely going to feature Jessica Drew (a.k.a. Spider-Woman) as the lead character and, quite frankly, the Vikander is kind of the spitting image of her in real life, if you ask me. Of course, if not for the resemblance to the superhero (with such arachnid-like abilities as pheromonal manipulation, bio-electric “venom blasts,” and wall-crawling), the actress’ action star reputation and uncanny ability to master a British accent is what makes her an ideal candidate. 

Sinthea Schmidt

It is probably no secret the Alicia Vikander has already shared the screen with several Marvel movie stars outside of her husband, Michael Fassbender (whom she met filming The Light Between Oceans), including Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in 2012’s period drama Anna Karenina, Bradley Cooper in the 2015 culinary dramedy Burnt, and in the Julian Assange biopic, The Fifth Estate, with Daniel Bruhl (who was also in Burnt, actually). 

Considering how things left off with the Falcon and the Winter Soldier ending, I am sure we will be seeing more of the German actor as Baron Zemo and think that casting Vikander as a known ally of the character would be an amazing way for these two reunite. The villain in question is named Sinthea Schmidt, who also goes by “Sin” and has certainly lived up to that name and the legacy of her father, Johann “Red Skull” Schmidt, with a long list of dastardly deeds.

Clea

In case Alicia Vikander would rather not make her reunion with a Fifth Estate co-star as a villain, I have the perfect and more heroic alternate solution. Starring as the infamous Julian Assange in that 2013 biopic was British actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who would, of course, go on to star as the title hero of Doctor Strange in 2016. In the comics, the Sorcerer Supreme would fall involve with Clea - the former, natural heir to the dark dimension - whose introduction into the MCU would lead to some truly magical adventures, even if it means doing away with her and Stephen Strange’s romance for the sake of his relationship with Rachel McAdams’ Dr. Christine Palmer.

If we never do see Alicia Vikander join the MCU, I suppose it is not a complete loss, because she technically already plays a superhero in Tomb Raider anyway. On the other hand, I also cannot help but wonder what characters from the DC movies she would be ideal for.

Writer/Director/Actor Justin Chon joins the show to discuss Blue Bayou starring himself and Alicia Vikander. He talks about the day he learned the film was going to screen at the Cannes International Film Festival, getting real tattoos for his character in the film, creating a more documentary feel by shooting on film and more.

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One of the most hotly debated topics in the world right now is immigration policy in the United States, which is put at the forefront of Blue Bayou - a new, intensely grounded drama from writer and director Justin Chon. Chon also stars in the film as a man raised for most of his life by his adoptive family in Louisiana, but his Korean origins and criminal record threaten his chances of staying in America with his wife (played by Alicia Vikander) and two children. The two main leads likely sound familiar to you, but you may also recognize a few other Blue Bayou cast members and the following is breakdown of where you have probably spotted each of them before.

Justin Chon (Antonio LeBlanc)

Justin Chon plays a family man struggling to stay in his American home in Blue Bayou - his fourth feature-length directorial effort after 2015’s Man Up, the award-winning Gook (both of which he also starred in), and Ms. Purple in 2019. A California native of Korean descent, one of his first big roles was playing Brenda Song’s brother in the 2006 Disney Channel Original Movie, Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior, before becoming a series regular on the Nickelodeon sitcom Just Jordan and joining the Twilight movies cast as Eric.

Chon also played Jeff Chang in 2013’s 21 & Over, the lead of the Martin Scorsese-produced 2014 thriller Revenge of the Green Dragons, appeared on Community cast member Ken Jeong’s semi-autobiographical sitcom Dr. Ken, and returned to Nickelodeon for a recurring voice role on The Casagrandes in 2021.

Alicia Vikander (Kathy LeBlanc)

Playing Antonio LeBlanc’s supportive wife, Kathy, in Blue Bayou is Alicia Vikander, who earned an Academy Award in 2016 for playing the supportive wife of a transgender woman in The Danish Girl, after giving an Oscar-worthy performance in 2014's Ex Machina as a humanesque robot.

The Swedish actress made her English-language debut in 2012 with Anna Karenina, followed by another biopic (The Fifth Estate starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange), before becoming better known for blockbuster thrillers like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (a 2015 remake of the 1960s TV series), the 2016 Jason Bourne sequel, and as a part of Netflix’s Beckett cast in 2021, despite not being the center of the action. Hopefully, however, we will see the star of Julie Taymor’s The Glorias and A24’s recent fantasy epic The Green Knight return to her role as video game icon Lara Croft in Tomb Raider 2 soon enough.

Mark O’Brien (Ace)

As a police officer whom Antonio knows personally in Blue Bayou, we have Mark O’Brien - who, like Justin Chon, also does work behind the camera and made his feature-length directorial debut with the horror film, The Righteous, which he also stars in.

In fact, other than fans of Halt and Catch Fire on AMC or Showtime’s City on a Hill, fans of horror movies are probably the biggest fans of the Canadian actor also known for 2016’s sci-fi masterpiece Arrival and playing Samara Weaving’s husband in Ready or Not from 2019. O’Brien has also starred in acclaimed dramas like The Front Runner and Bad Times at the El Royale in 2018, Netflix’s Oscar-winning Marriage Story in 2019, and producer Michael B. Jordan’s upcoming AMC series 61st Street, in which plays another cop involved in situation of cultural injustice.

Linh Dan Pham (Parker)

Parker, a woman who helps Antonio better embrace his Asian heritage, is played by Linh Dan Pham, who can actually relate to Justin Chon’s character on some level, having been originally born in Saigon, Vietnam, but raised for most of her life in France.

She actually made her acting debut in a 1992 French film called Indochine before playing the title role in a German period drama called Jamilia two years later and starring mostly in European films and TV shows for much of her career, with a few more coming up. Blue Bayou is actually just her third English-language film - her first being the extremely weird sci-fi odyssey Mr. Nobody (which was actually produced in France) alongside Jared Leto and the second being Ninja Assassin, in which she is credited as “Pretty Ninja,” the same year.

Sydney Kowalske (Jesse LeBlanc)

Young up-and-coming actress Sydney Kowalske gives in a stunning performance as Antonio and Kathy’s daughter, Jesse LeBlanc, in Blue Bayou, which is only her second movie, and fourth acting effort altogether, to date. She made her debut in 2019 on the HBO Max exclusive series Doom Patrol - one of the most popular and acclaimed DC TV shows currently airing today - as a younger version of Cara Steele, the daughter of Brendan Fraser’s character Cliff “Robotman” Steele, who is played as an adult by Bethany Anne Lind.

In 2020, Kowalske starred in a short film shot during the pandemic called (Dis)Connected, and made her feature-length debut in 2021 with the Lifetime Network original, fact-based crime-thriller, Girl in the Basement, once again playing the younger version of a main character.

Vondie Curtis-Hall (Barry Boucher)

Playing a lawyer trying to help Antonio in Blue Bayou is Vondie Curtis-Hall, whose brief, memorable role in 1988’s Coming to America led to a successful career as one of those recognizable “That Guys,” popping up in films like Die Hard 2, Joel Schumacher’s Falling Down, Spike Lee’s Crooklyn, and Clear and Present Danger with Harrison Ford, to name a few.

Some of the Emmy nominee’s more prominent roles include Lt. Col. Sam Rhodes in Broken Arrow, Dr. Dennis Hancock on Chicago Hope, Captain Prince in Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, and Ben Urich in Netflix’s Daredevil cast. Curtis-Hall recently starred in 2019’s Harriet, and The Night House in 2021, will appear in In the Heights director Jon M. Chu’s upcoming film Triage, and is preparing his own latest directorial effort, Residue, in which he will also star.

Emory Cohen (Denny)

Mark O’Brien’s cop character, Ace, has a racist partner named Denny, played in Blue Bayou by Emory Cohen, who debuted in his late teens in 2008’s coming-of-age drama Afterschool, before playing a troubled teen in The Place Beyond the Pines opposite Ryan Gosling and, later, joining the cast of Smash on NBC.

He would continue to appear in challenging dramas (like Hot Summer Nights, Shot Caller, and Lords of Chaos), as well as lighter pieces (such as War Machine or Brooklyn), and even some genre pictures (like Sweetheart and Flashback) and more TV (namely Netflix’s The OA). He will soon star in an upcoming Netflix series called Florida Man, Jeremy Saulnier’s next Netflix movie Rebel Ridge, and appears alongside a star-studded cast (including Oscar Isaac) in Big Gold Brick.

With a powerful and timely message many audiences can relate to and many others should be exposed to, Blue Bayou could be the golden opportunity that finally earns Justin Chon more mainstream recognition as a prominent talent both in front of and behind the camera. The brilliant performances from the cast he has acquired lend themselves well to that achievement.

Did you know that Alicia Vikander is not just an exceptionally talented actor, but also has a beautiful singing voice? That’s not something that you’d necessarily be aware of from her past work, as none of the parts she has taken on have had that kind of musical component, but her performance in Justin Chon’s Blue Bayou is revelatory in that way. In a key moment in the film, her character gets on a stage and sings a rendition of the titular song – as I recently learned from an interview with Vikander, she was actually shaking prior to filming the scene.

I had the wonderful pleasure of talking to Alicia Vikander and Justin Chon this past weekend during the virtual press day for Blue Bayou, and I asked both of them in separate interviews about the scene where Vikander’s Kathy performs in front of a crowd at a party. Having never had an experience like that before, she was incredibly anxious, and she had to work to stop herself from visually shaking before “action” was called. She said,

In Blue Bayou, Justin Chon and Alicia Vikander star as a married couple living in Louisiana who see their lives rocked when the former is processed by ICE and determined to be an illegal immigrant – having been adopted from Korea when we was just a few years old. The decision is made to fight against deportation, but that leads to even harder decisions that ultimately put an extreme strain on the couple’s relationship.

As Justin Chon noted in our conversation, the scene wasn’t really about Alicia Vikander’s Kathy sounding great, but instead the Oscar winner being able to use the moment to express an emotional statement about her connection with Chon’s Antonio. In essence, Vikander having a great voice was just a huge bonus, and it earned her a wonderful response from the crew. Chon recounted,

Justin Chon actually wound up learning about that difficulty first-hand after Blue Bayou wrapped production. The writer/director/actor happened to be in Hawaii at the same time as Alicia Vikander, and they ended up together in a karaoke bar. She insisted that he go up and perform the song – originally co-written and performed by Roy Orbison before becoming a Linda Ronstadt hit – and it was actually a task he wasn’t up to. Chon explained,

The amount of pride someone has after accomplishing something is generally correlated with the challenge of the task, and that’s something that’s certainly true for Alicia Vikander and her time making Blue Bayou. She explained that it is now a scene that she has great appreciation for, specifically in the greater context of the film. Said Vikander,

Blue Bayou, which is based on an original screenplay by Justin Chon, also stars Mark O’Brien, Linh Dan Pham, Emory Cohen, Sydney Kowalske, and Vondie Curtis-Hall. Following its premiere earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival, it will be released in theaters this Friday, June 25.

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Imagine a relaxing international vacation with your significant other ruined by a horrifying accident before later discovering that you have somehow become a pawn in some mysterious political conspiracy. That is the premise of Beckett, a Netflix original from director Fernando Cito Filomarino, starring John David Washington in the title role of an ordinary man in an extraordinarily distressing situation during a seemingly normal visit to Greece. Outside of Washington and his romantic lead Alicia Vikander, there are a few other actors from the Beckett cast you may also recognize or will have the pleasure of discovering for the first time while watching the thriller. However, why don’t we begin by revisiting the career of our story’s hero first?

John David Washington (Beckett)

Since debuting at a young age in 1992’s Malcolm X (starring his father, Denzel Washington), John David Washington has become one of Hollywood’s top leading men, especially after appearing alongside Dwayne Johnson on the HBO series Ballers, reuniting with Spike Lee for BlackKklansman in 2018, and playing the unnamed “Protagonist” in Christopher Nolan’s Tenet in 2020. However, Beckett marks the second of two Netflix movies featuring the actor in a titular role after Malcolm & Marie, which he also produced with co-star Zendaya, in 2021. Washington will be able to call the likes of Academy Award nominee Margot Robbie and Academy Award winner Robert De Niro his co-stars in a currently untitled David O. Russell project and True Love, his upcoming film from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story director Gareth Edwards, is now in pre-production.

Alicia Vikander (April)

Because the story requires it, Alicia Vikander does not get as much screen time as John David Washington’s girlfriend, April, in Beckett as you would expect from an Academy Award winner (for 2015’s The Danish Girl) and blockbuster action hero (for The Man from U.N.C.L.E., 2016’s Jason Bourne, and the Tomb Raider reboot from 2018). The Swedish actress’ English-language debut was the Russian-set, 2012 period piece Anna Karenina, which she followed with the Julian Assange biopic The Fifth Estate before making her breakthrough as an android in 2014’s Ex Machina and meeting her husband, Michael Fassbender, on the set of The Light Between Oceans. After starring in a more unusual biopic called the The Glorias in 2020, Vikander returned to the fantasy genre for The Green Knight in 2021 and will hopefully return to play Lara Croft in Tomb Raider 2 soon.

Boyd Holbrook (Tynan)

Also known for biopics (like his debut film Milk, the History Channel’s Hatfields & McCoys miniseries, and Steven Soderbergh’s Behind the Candelabra) and blockbusters (including Logan as the villain and The Predator as the hero) is Boyd Holbrook, who plays a U.S. embassy employee in Beckett. The thriller is the actor’s fourth Netflix original after the series Narcos, the sci-fi movie In the Shadow of the Moon, and Robert Rodriguez family film We Can Be Heroes in 2021, but he has also led a versatile big screen career with the dramedy The Skeleton Twins, David Fincher’s adaptation of Gone Girl, and even two Liam Neeson movies. Holbrook will next star in an episode of B.J. Novak’s FX anthology series The Premise, the former Office cast member’s directorial debut Vengeance, and he has joined the Indiana Jones 5 cast in an undisclosed role.

Vicky Krieps (Lena)

Playing a stranger who comes to Beckett’s aid we have Vicky Krieps, who was most recently seen in M. Night Shyamalan’s Old cast as the mother of two children growing up way too quickly. A decade earlier, the Luxembourg-born actress broke into English-language movies with Hanna and Anonymous, which questions if William Shakespeare was more than one person, and later played Daniel Day-Lewis’ muse in 2017’s Phantom Thread and Mikael Blomkvist’s “occasional lover” in The Girl in the Spider’s Web the following year. Despite her success in the states, Krieps still appears in films and TV series from Europe to this day, such as the 2019 limited series sequel to Das Boot or the upcoming two-part adaptation of The Three Musketeers by French filmmaker Martin Bourboulon.

Michael Stuhlbarg (April’s Father)

Playing Alicia Vikander’s onscreen father is Emmy nominee Michael Stuhlbarg in a reunion with Beckett producer Luca Guadagnino, who directed this student of Broadway in Call Me By Your Name in 2017. He may be one of the most underrated character actors of his time, but might not care considering all the amazing filmmakers he has worked with, including the Coen Brothers for A Serious Man, Martin Scorsese for Hugo and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, Steven Spielberg for Lincoln and The Post, Danny Boyle for 2015’s Steve Jobs, and Denis Villeneuve for Arrival in 2016. Stuhlbarg also stole scenes in Men in Black 3, became a Marvel movies star with a Doctor Strange appearance, and will next star in a pair of really interesting miniseries: the star-studded “Big Pharma” exposé Dopesick and the true-crime story The Staircase, in which he will play Michael Peterson’s lawyer, David Rudolf.

Yorgos Pirpassopoulos (Karras)

While you could infer that Yorgos Pirpassopoulos may have felt right at home while filming Beckett in Greece, the actor was actually born in Adelaide, Australia, before moving to Athens, where his acting career began to take off. He is best known for the acclaimed comedy Chevelier, lending his voice to the video game Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey in 2018, and he recently appeared alongside Sebastian Stan in the romantic drama Monday, which was also filmed in Greece. His next English-language film will be the sci-fi thriller Crimes of the Future, which also stars Kristen Stewart and is written and directed by the legendary David Cronenberg.

Panos Koronis (Officer Xenakis)

Another actor who starred alongside Yorgos Pirpassopoulos in the Greek comedy Chevelier is Panos Koronis, who plays a corrupt Athens cop in Beckett. Despite originating from Greece, the actor’s English-language debut (the 1999, Thomas Jane-led drama Junked) was also his acting debut, which he followed up with Richard Linklater’s Before Midnight 14 years later before starring in more productions from his native land. His next film The Lost Daughter - the directorial debut of Maggie Gyllenhaal, who also adapted the screenplay from Elena Ferrante’s novel - which also stars Academy Award winner Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, and Ed Harris.

Lena Kitsopoulou (Female Shooter)

You may recognize Lena Kitsopoulou from the Beckett trailer as the blonde woman who shoots a gun at John David Washington. The Netflix film is, indeed, the English-language debut of the Greek-born performer, whose most notable acting credits include the 1997 romantic sci-fi thriller No Sympathy for the Devil, Paradise is a Personal Matter, and the coming-of-age sports drama Park.

Could Beckett end up being remembered as one of the strongest 2021 movies, especially in terms of star-studded suspense thrillers? See for yourself by streaming it on Netflix after it releases Friday, August 13.

In a summer of blockbuster films based on comic book properties like Black Widow and The Suicide Squad, or horror stories like The Forever Purge and A Quiet Place: Part II, A24 is doing what it does best and subverting what we’ve come to expect at the movie theaters. Following hits like Uncut Gems and Midsommar, the studio’s latest offering is David Lowery’s The Green Knight, adapted from 14th-century Arthurian legend. So how did moviegoers like the epic starring Dev Patel?

The Green Knight really impressed most critics, including CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg, who gave the movie 4.5 out of 5 in his review and named it one of the “best of 2021.” It also opened No. 2 at last weekend’s box office behind Disney’s Jungle Cruise. Now let’s get to what fans are saying about the A24 release.

The Green Knight Is A 2021 Fan Favorite

Overall, it seems the public is mixed on The Green Knight. It’s the kind of movie you either really vibe with or don’t like at all. On social media, a ton of fans represented the positive end of what the Arthurian legend has to offer, with this Twitter use sharing this:

For context, Little Women came out in late 2019, so this is high praise for the David Lowery film! The fan also shared he is “levitating with joy” about his viewing of The Green Knight. To echo the high praise, another viewer of the film shared his love for the summer release with more rounds of applause:

The Green Knight was also delayed a year by A24 after its initial 2020 release was moved due to the pandemic. But because it debuted in theaters only, those who went out to see it were really keen on the theatrical experience as well. As another fan pointed out, it was their first trip out to a movie since lockdown, and it was worth the price of admission for them.

The A24 movie clearly has a lot of happy fans, but there’s a variety of experiences that were told via social media reactions as well.

So Many People We Confused And Conflicted About It

Then there were the fans who were just trying to figure out what they were watching. The Green Knight is quite the cerebral experience, and everything you see on screen doesn’t matter as much as the themes they represent. It’s not for someone who just wants to sit back and relax without thinking deeply. One Twitter user especially encapsulated the experience watching the A24 film:

One viewer shared an unhinged meme featuring one of the characters from Madagascar to bring across her thoughts on The Green Knight, and the movie apparently had her “losing her mind,” later also adding that the movie made her “feral.”

It’s definitely an interesting movie to check out with a crowd of people because of the many reactions it spawns from viewers. Another fan shared her eavesdropping on other moviegoers, who had a completely different opinion from her seat-mates:

Not unlike the recent horror release Old, The Green Knight isn’t necessarily a movie you can trust another person to assure you that you’ll have the same experience. It’s a wild card. Some people love that kind of moviegoing affair, but it certainly will turn off others too.

The Dev Patel Of It All Was A Hot Sell

The Green Knight is a deep movie, but going out to see it was all about the eye candy for a lot of moviegoers in its first week in terms of its lead actor. As one viewer shared, they are incredibly content to stare at Dev Patel for the entirety of the film:

A lot of people are into Dev Patel. Before the movie even hit theaters, early viewers raved over Dev Patel in particular, with one early viewer sharing that “Dev Patel can cut off my head any time he likes.” A sect of fans have named the season “Dev Patel Summer” in honor of the actor looking absolutely beautiful in his flowing black hair and knight armor:

Even people who didn’t like the movie could enjoy the Dev Patel of it all. The 31-year-old British actor made famous by his 2008 performance in Slumdog Millionaire has become a bit of an icon thanks to The Green Knight.

And there’s a lot of scenes with Dev Patel in The Green Knight. Just about all of them actually. So if you’re a fellow Patel fan, this is the medieval movie for you.

There Are A Lot Of Thoughts About The Green Knight Ending

To wrap up (without spoilers I promise), let’s talk about some of the reactions to the ending, because it’s a huge talking point when it comes to The Green Knight. The A24 movie's conclusion was a make-it-or-break-it scene for viewers of the film, as one Twitter user shared:

For some people, the ending just messed up the experience for them. It’s not your typical ending and it’s definitely controversial. Another person went on to criticize the ending, and A24 as a studio, for going out of its way to “confuse” people:

How you react to The Green Knight’s ending will have a lot to do with if the movie overall worked for you. It’s the point that had a lot of moviegoers giving up on it. At the same time, it’s the kind of ending that’s really fun to dissect with friends after watching it together or go down a Arthurian legend rabbit hole too. To each their own:

As a whole, there are a lot of opinions on The Green Knight. It’s definitely not universally loved or understood, but from a filmmaking standpoint, many can appreciate David Lowery’s vision, even if it seemed too ambitious for some. The Green Knight is playing in theaters now. It’s your turn: have you seen it and what did you think of the movie? Vote in our poll and keep track of what movies are coming next with CinemaBlend’s 2021 movie release guide.

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Every now and again, an actor or actress comes around and catches the world by storm and quickly shoots to top of the movie industry. We’ve seen these quick ascents in the past, but one of the most impressive examples of this in recent years is the case of Alicia Vikander who went from a relatively unknown Swedish rising star to one of the most talked about names in Hollywood in the span of a couple of years. Thanks to movies like Ex Machina, The Danish Girl, and even Tomb Raider, Vikander has become one of the most prolific stars of our time and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon, especially with her presence on The Green Knight cast.

Below is a quick list of the best Alicia Vikander movies and how you can watch them whether they’re on streaming services or available for digital rental or purchases (and even old fashion physical media).

The Danish Girl (2015)

One of the best movies on Netflix, Tom Hooper’s 2015 biographical drama The Danish Girl tells the story of early 20th Century artist Einar Wegener (Eddie Redmayne) as he transitions to a woman who identifies herself as Lili Elbe. And while the outside world does not understand or support the artist’s decision to undergo surgery to let go of her male past and begin her life as a woman, Wegener’s wife, Gerda (Alicia Vikander) remains her biggest supporter despite the circumstances. Vikander won an Academy Award for her portrayal of the supportive wife and talented artist who never gave up on Lili through the thick and thin of the whole situation.

Stream The Danish Girl on Netflix.

Rent/Buy The Danish Girl on Amazon.

Buy The Danish Girl on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Ex Machina (2015)

Alicia Vikander had already started to build a respectable resumé by the time she showed up in Alex Garland’s 2015 mind-bending sci-fi drama Ex Machina with all its questions about love, reality, and morality, but her portrayal of an android named Ava put her on the map. We’re introduced to Ava after a young programmer named Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) is invited to to the home and research facility of his boss, Nathan (Oscar Isaac), and her presence is immediately felt. What starts out as a Turing test to show off Nathan’s work in artificial intelligence quickly turns into something much more.

Stream Ex Machina on Showtime.

Rent/Buy Ex Machina on Amazon.

Buy Ex Machina on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Tomb Raider (2018)

The Tomb Raider video game franchise went through a major tonal and gameplay shift with the 2013 reboot, and so it only made sense for the film franchise of the same name to do something similar when it returned in 2018 after being dormant for 15 years. This more grounded and gritty version of Tomb Raider saw Alicia Vikander take on the role of Lara Croft as she set out to solve the mystery of her father’s (Dominic West) disappearance in a fabled tomb on the Japanese coast. What she finds on the island, however, defies logic and reality as she knows it.

Rent/Buy Tomb Raider on Amazon.

Buy Tomb Raider on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Anna Karenina (2012)

In 2012, director Joe Wright had the task of adapting Leo Tolstoy’s 19th Century epic about love and war in the Russian Empire with Anna Karenina. While the heart of the movie focuses on Anna Karenina (Keira Knightley) and her love affair with Count Alexei Kirillovich Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), a movie couldn’t be considered an epic without branching storylines that tell the tale of other characters connected to the central drama. That’s where we find Princess Ekaterina “Kitty” Alexandrovna (Alicia Vikander), who had the eye of Vronsky before Karenina came into the picture. Her story is just as important to overall narrative of Anna Karenina as anyone else's and helped make her into a rising star.

Rent/Buy Anna Karenina on Amazon.

Buy Anna Karenina on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

When CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) are forced to put their differences aside during the middle of the Cold War to prevent a mysterious organization from starting nuclear war, we get The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Directed by Guy Ritchie, this 2015 action comedy sees the pair of adversaries find and rescue Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander), the daughter of a German scientist whose story is actually more remarkable than they knew. Together, the trio set off to prevent the world from falling into chaos before it’s too late.

Rent/Buy The Man from U.N.C.L.E. on Amazon.

Burnt (2015)

John Wells’ 2015 drama, Burnt, tells the story of skilled yet emotionally unstable chef, Adam Jones (Bradley Cooper), as he attempts to earn his third Michelin star while also pulling himself out of series of bad mistakes and setbacks. Together with his trusty kitchen crew, which includes Helene Sweeney (Sienna Miller) and Michel (Omar Sy), Adam reaches new heights professionally, though his personal life remains a mess that is constantly boiling over. Things change, however, when Adam has a run-in with his ex-girlfriend, Anne Marie (Alicia VIkander), who inspires him to finally make the change that could save his career and life.

Stream Burnt on Tubi.

Rent/Buy Burnt on Amazon.

Buy Burnt on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

The Light Between Oceans (2016)

Derek Cianfrance’s 2016 period drama The Light Between Oceans, which is one of the best movies on Amazon Prime you can rent, centers on World War I veteran Tom Sherbourne (Michael Fassbender) and his wife Isabel (Alicia Vikander), who despite their best efforts, cannot have a child of their own to brighten the dreary life they lead at a remote lighthouse on the Australian coast. Their fortune changes when an infant mysteriously washes ashore, but the arrival brings with it another obstacle for the couple: Should they alert the authorities and find the child’s family or raise the baby as their own.

Rent/Buy The Light Between Oceans on Amazon.

Buy The Light Between Oceans on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

A Royal Affair (2012)

The 2012 Danish drama A Royal Affair sees Alicia Vikander take on the role of Caroline Matilda, who marries Christian VII (Mikkel Følsgaard), the king of Denmark, but quickly finds herself in a forbidden romance with her husband’s doctor, Johann Friedrich Struensee (Mads Mikkelsen). This affair between the new queen and the royal doctor becomes something much more consequential, as the physician begins to take advantage of his situation and create a larger, and more powerful, role for himself.

Stream A Royal Affair on Hoopla.

Rent/Buy A Royal Affair on Amazon.

Buy A Royal Affair on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Testament Of Youth (2014)

The 2014 military drama Testament of Youth tells the remarkable story of Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander), who abandoned her studies at Oxford to become a war nurse during World War I. Though initially supportive of the war and her country’s role in the matter, the loss of several of the men closest to her causes the young woman to become a pacifist, a philosophy the real Vera Brittain dedicated her life to following the war.

Stream Testament of Youth on Showtime.

Rent/Buy Testament of Youth on Amazon.

Buy Testament of Youth on DVD/Blu-ray on Amazon.

Earthquake Bird (2019)

Set in 1989 Tokyo, the 2019 Netflix psychological thriller Earthquake Bird sees Alicia Vikander take on the role of Lucy Fly, a translator who finds herself accused of murder when her best friend, Lily Bridges (Riley Keough), goes missing after the two were involved in a love triangle.

Stream Earthquake Bird on Netflix.

With Alicia Vikander’s busy schedule and upcoming 2021 new movie releases, it won’t be long before this list is updated with even more stellar performances, including the still-in-the-works Tomb Raider 2.

It has been a little more than three years since audiences were introduced to Alicia Vikander’s version of the iconic video game adventure seeker Lara Croft in 2018’s Tomb Raider. And while the film lacked the star power of the Angelina Jolie-led adaptations of the early 2000s, Tomb Raider was a moderate success at the box office and with critics, which got a lot of fans asking: When will there be a Tomb Raider 2?

Sometimes simple questions have very complicated and drawn out answers, and that just so happens to be the case with Tomb Raider 2. Below, we will try to offer a simple explanation of the movie's pre-production history and all the players behind the scenes, how a global health crisis hindered that process, and what may come of the movie in the future. Here’s what’s going on with Tomb Raider 2.

In February 2018, Prior To The Release of The First Film, Alicia Vikander Said She ‘Would Love To’ Return For Tomb Raider 2

The first Tomb Raider movie was released in March 2018, but even before the world got to see a more grounded portrayal of Lara Croft, Academy Award-winning actress Alicia Vikander made it clear she was willing to return for more action. A few weeks prior to the release of the film, GameSpot encouraged its Twitter followers to submit questions for a digital Q&A with Vikander, with one person asking if she would be willing to return for a sequel. Vikander responded:

The following month, Tomb Raider was released and brought in nearly $275 million worldwide, according to BoxOfficeMojo, and so it seemed like a sequel was a foregone conclusion.

In September 2019, A March 2021 Release Date For Tomb Raider 2 Was Announced, Along With A Writer And Director

Tomb Raider 2 became even more like a reality in September 2019 when Deadline announced that MGM Studios had not only hired a writer and director for the sequel but also set a March 19, 2021 release date.

The director, Ben Wheatley, had previously helmed the 2015 dystopian action-thriller High-Rise and the black comedy Free Fire, when he signed on the lead Tomb Raider 2. Amy Jump, who is married to Wheatley, was hired to take on the task of penning the script after previously writing both High-Rise and Free Fire.

Within the span of a couple years, however, the release date, director, and writer would all be out of the picture for one reason or another.

In October 2020, Alicia Vikander Revealed That COVID-19 Pandemic Scrapped The Initial Production Schedule

In late 2019, Tomb Raider 2 was beginning to look more and more like a reality with a creative team and release date, but then the COVID-19 pandemic came along and forced the entertainment industry to come to an immediate halt. During an appearance on Good Morning America in October 2020, Alicia Vikander revealed that the Tomb Raider sequel was yet another film to be affected by the global health crisis, explaining that the plan was for production to start earlier in the year but the situation was “now very different” and she was optimistic that principal photography could start up at some point in 2021.

Later In October 2020, MGM Removed Tomb Raider 2 From The Release Schedule

The bad news surrounding Tomb Raider 2 kept coming in October 2020 when TheWrap reported that MGM had removed the title from its release schedule entirely. With that announcement, the Tomb Raider sequel became one of the many 2021 movies to be rescheduled or taken off the calendar entirely. And while no official reason was provided at the time, it can be speculated that the decision was made due to the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on theaters around the world.

In January 2021, Lovecraft Country Creator Misha Green Was Brought On To Write And Direct Tomb Raider 2

The Tomb Raider sequel took a major step forward in January 2021 when Misha Green, who not only wrote and directed Lovecraft Country but served as HBO horror drama’s showrunner in the second half of 2020, was hired to write and direct Tomb Raider 2, per Deadline. Not long after the news broke, Green took to Twitter to provide fans with a response that included a rather vague series of emojis after revealing her favorite games from the Tomb Raider franchise.

The reason behind the original writing-directing pair of Bean Wheatley and Amy Jump stepping away from the project was not revealed at the time of the announcement. How much of the original plan for Tomb Raider 2 remains in the current incarnation was also not revealed.

In May 2021, Misha Green Revealed Tomb Raider 2’s Working Title And An Update On The Script

The good news kept coming for Tomb Raider 2 in May 2021 when Misha Green took to Twitter once more to provide a quick yet significant update for the video game adaptation. In a tweet, Green announced that the first draft of the script had been finished along with a screenshot of its cover, revealing the working title: Tomb Raider: Obsidian. Green also said there was “still a long journey to production.”

In July 2021, Alicia Vikander Said Tomb Raider 2 Wasn’t Greenlit But She Wanted To Return

When promoting the release of The Green Knight, Alicia Vikander told Collider in July 2021 that although the new version of Tomb Raider 2 wasn’t officially greenlit, she wanted to return for a second go, stating:

When asked about the movie’s script, Alicia Vikander revealed that while she had yet to read Misha Green’s first draft, she was “very excited” to check it out in the near future. Expect to hear more about the story and Green’s feature directorial debut in the coming weeks and months.

It is hard to say exactly when we’ll get to see Tomb Raider 2 in action, but maybe there’s a chance it ends up being included in the impressive list of highly anticipated 2022 new movie releases with a few other upcoming video game movies with a lot of potential.

Epic medieval fantasy films have always been some of my favorites, and honestly, it was about time that one finally came out in the theaters after so long without any releases. The Green Knight fulfills that need for me, with plenty of stars lined up in its cast.

But who exactly are the stars of The Green Knight? From Dev Patel to Alicia Vikander, to Joel Edgerton, it seems that The Green Knight is packed with familiar faces. Here is where you might have seen the cast before.

Dev Patel (Sir Gawain)

Dev Patel, who portrays Sir Gawain, is someone you for sure have seen somewhere in Hollywood at one point or the other. Back in 2008, his breakthrough was playing Jamal Malik in the Academy-Award-winning film, Slumdog Millionaire. Afterward, he went on to star in several different types of films, of all genres, including the romantic comedy, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel as well as its sequel, the sci-fi film, Chappie, the biopic film, The Man Who Knew Infinity and portrayed the famous David Copperfield in The Personal History of David Copperfield.

Dev Patel also had a leading role in Aaron Sorkin’s HBO drama series, The Newsroom, back in 2012 until 2014. The Green Knight epic was the perfect way to bring him into the world of fantasy.

Alicia Vikander (Lady/Esel)

Alicia Vikander portrayed Lady/Esel, and has appeared in plenty of things you may have seen. From 2008-2010, she portrayed Josefin Bjorn-Tegebrandt in the drama series, Andra Avenyn, and then went on to make her film debut later on in Pure. From there, she went on to have roles in Anna Karenina in 2012 and portrayed Queen Caroline Mathilde in A Royal Affair.

In 2014, she starred in both Testament of Youth and Ex Machina, both of which helped her achieve more recognition. A year later, she starred in The Danish Girl, a role that would win her an Academy Award. Alicia Vikander has also dipped her toes into the action realm as well, having a supporting role in Jason Bourne, as well as the lead role of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider, with a sequel potentially on the way. I can’t wait to see what this actress has coming up next after The Green Knight.

Joel Edgerton (Lord)

I’ve always felt like I’ve seen Joel Edgerton in so many films, and I can assure you, you have as well. Joel Edgerton, who portrays Lord, has been in plenty of popular movies. One of his earlier ones was portraying young Owen Lars in both Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Afterward, he went on to have roles in King Arthur, the Academy-Award winning film, Zero Dark Thirty, the period piece The Great Gatsby, the Netflix original film, Bright, and the action film, Red Sparrow. Most recently, he appeared in the Netflix original film, The King, alongside several of his The Green Knight co-stars.

Joel Edgerton has also been on the small screen for some time as well. Way back in 2001 until 2002, he portrayed Will McGill on The Secret Life of Us. Most recently, he had a role in the limited series, The Underground Railroad, on Amazon Prime.

Edgerton is actually going to be reprising his role as Owen Lars in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi Disney+ original Star Wars show, so keep an eye out for that if you’re a Star Wars fan.

Sarita Choudhury (Mother/Morgan Le Fay)

Portraying Mother/Mother Le Fay, Sarita Choudhury has been all over the map in terms of films and television. With a career that dates back as early as the 1990s, Choudhury has been in several movies. She made her debut in Mississippi Masala, and then would appear years later in A Perfect Murder, and 3 A.M.

In 2004, she would star in Spike Lee’s She Hate Me and portrayed Anna Ran in Lady in the Water, a thriller film by M. Night Shyamalan. From 2014 to 2015, she also appeared in The Hunger Games franchise, portraying Egeria in both The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2. And she appeared alongside Tom Hanks in A Hologram for the King, and the British drama, The Last Photograph.

Choudhury also has had several recurring roles on television, including spots on Blindspot, Homeland, Little Fires Everywhere, and more. She had a main role as Kith Lyonne on the Netflix series, Jessica Jones. I can only imagine where else she will take her talents after The Green Knight.

Sean Harris (King Arthur)

Sean Harris is the perfect actor to play King Arthur in The Green Knight. Sean Harris has been around for some time, but you’ve most likely seen him in several action movies, namely The Mission Impossible series. He had appearances in both Mission Impossible – Rogue and Mission Impossible – Fallout. Harris also starred in Prometheus as Fifield, and Phillip in Possum. He, as well, had a main role in the Netflix original film, The King.

Harris has also had some time on television as well. From 2011 – 2013, he portrayed Micheletto Corella on The Borgias and had a role in the miniseries Southcliffe. After The Green Knight, I can’t wait to see what Sean Harris does next.

Kate Dickie (Queen Guinevere)

Another character from the King Arthur legend, Queen Guinevere, Kate Dickie portrays her in The Green Knight. One of Dickie’s most famous roles prior to The Green Knight was portraying Lysa Arryn in the HBO fantasy series, Game of Thrones, and portraying Lex in the BBC series, Tinsel Town.

However, Dickie has also done plenty in film as well, including roles in Prometheus alongside Sean Harris, Filth, the horror film, The Witch, and a part in Star Wars: The Last Jedi. After The Green Knight, Kate Dickie will be bringing her acting skills to the historical drama, The Northman, so keep an eye out for her to pop up soon in theaters once again.

Barry Keoghan (Scavenger)

Known as the Scavenger in The Green Knight, Barry Keoghan has been in some big hits prior to his portrayal. He’s most known for his role in Dunkirk, and The Killing of a Sacred Deer. He also had a role in Calm with Horses, and in the RTE drama, Love/Hate, where he portrayed Wayne.

Keoghan also had a recurring role in the HBO miniseries, Chernobyl, and historical drama serial, Rebellion. Keoghan will have a role in the upcoming The Batman in 2022 and will portray Druig in Marvel’s The Eternals– the best of both superhero worlds. You’ll certainly be seeing more of him soon.

Ralph Ineson (Green Knight)

Ralph Ineson portrays the Green Knight in the titular movie, The Green Knight, and this actor has been around the block for some time. He portrayed William in The Witch alongside Kate Dickie, Dagmer Cleftjaw in Game of Thrones, and had a role in the last three Harry Potter films, where he played Amycus Carrow. He also had a minor role in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy as a Ravager Pilot.

Ineson had a role in the BBC drama series, Goodnight Sweetheart, a part in drama series, Playing the Field, and had a role as Chris Finch in the original, The Office, which is what the American show was based on. Alongside Barry Keoghan, Ralph Ineson had a role in the HBO miniseries, Chernobyl, where he played Nikolai Tarakanov. Ralph Ineson has plenty coming up after The Green Knight, including The Northman mentioned earlier, so it won’t be long before he most likely pops up on your movie screens once more.

Erin Kellyman (Winfred)

While her role isn’t as big in The Green Knight, Erin Kellyman portrayed Winfred, and this young actress honestly has a bright future ahead of her, in my opinion. While she hasn’t done as much as some of her co-stars yet, her resume is still impressive. She had a role as Enfys Nest in Solo: A Star Wars Story and had a recurring role in the British sitcom, Raised by Wolves.

Later on, she went on to portray Eponine Thenardier in the BBC adaptation of Les Miserables. In 2021, Kellyman portrayed Karli Morganthau in the Disney+ Marvel series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. After her role in The Green Knight, in 2022, she is going to be in another Disney+ fantasy series, Willow.

This whole cast makes me want to see if they’re going to pop up in any of the movies on the 2021 movie premieres. Which cast member did you enjoy the most in The Green Knight?

From the company that brought us Midsommar, Uncut Gems, Hereditary, and so much more comes The Green Knight, a medieval fantasy film directed by David Lowery. A24’s latest blockbuster is a bold spin of the Arthurian legend Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, which follows the story of Sir Gawain, King Arthur’s nephew, who journeys to confront the Green Knight, a gigantic tree-like creature and tester of men. The epic features Dev Patel as Sir Gawain, along with Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, and Sean Harris.

We saw reactions of the film from critics on social media last week, and they were overwhelmingly positive. Now critics have started to share their official reviews of the fantasy epic before it arrives in theaters this Friday, July 30, so let’s check out what they’re saying.

Let’s start with the CinemaBlend side, as usual. Eric Eisenberg thought The Green Knight was absolutely stunning, rating it 4.5 out of 5 stars. He was impressed with so many different aspects of the film, from Patel’s “amazing” performance that showcases his incredible talent, to the outstanding ensemble cast, to the spectacular CGI work. Eisenberg gave special recognition to Lowery’s direction and the gorgeous cinematography that transports the viewer into the story, saying:

Hoai-Train Bui from SlashFilm is absolutely singing the fantasy flick’s praises. She, like Eric Eisenberg, also commended Lowery’s “mesmerizing” direction, but she gave more attention to Patel’s performance in her review. She noted that the camera practically “worships” Patel, saying that the movie “knows that Patel is a heartthrob, and if you didn’t believe it before, you would now.” (And people are certainly thirsting over Patel in this film) Bui said:

Dev Patel is certainly gaining a lot of praise for his performance in The Green Knight. Robert Daniels of Polygon considers Patel’s role as Gawain his “career-defining performance.” Daniels also commended Lowery’s grasp on the source material and “dazzling” direction, as well as the cinematography by Andrew Droz Palermo. While he did note that the pacing was a little overwhelming at times, Daniels’ review was positive overall, and said:

Matt Donato of WhatToWatch also applauded Lowery’s direction in the epic, noting that he emphasized showing (via imagery) over telling. Donato enjoyed the film overall, but his main critique was that it was simply “too much movie” at times, with too many “directionless” elements that caused the fantasy flick to run too long. Donato said:

Simon Abrams of TheWrap had several things to say about The Green Knight, and not many of them positive. While he did enjoy bits of Palermo’s cinematography and the costume designs from Malgosia Turzanska, he argued that Lowery’s storytelling was too confined. Abrams thought that the side characters were too vague and, contrary to the previous critics, thought Patel’s performance was just “fine enough.” He said:

Overall, reviews for The Green Knight seem to be mostly positive. You'll soon be able to form your own opinion of the A24 epic, as it releases in theaters this Friday, July 30.

In the meantime, check out our summer release guide to plan your next movie-going experience.

The last words anyone wants to hear while on vacation are “government conspiracy.” Unfortunately for John David Washington’s character in the Netflix original film Beckett, those two words are about to become a lot more dangerous. What began as a lover’s retreat has now become a free-for-all that sees Washington getting shot at, punched, and tied up. And that’s just the beginning of the mayhem that’s on display, courtesy of the film’s first trailer.

It all starts out innocently enough in our first look at Beckett, as John David Washington and Alicia Vikander are ready for some rest and relaxation, while taking in the sights and sounds of Greece. A fateful car accident changes everything, with Beckett being the sole survivor. Forced to trade lunch dates for being chased across a country where political unrest is growing, our hero must clear his name and learn who to trust in the process.

That lesson is going to be something the audience of Beckett will get to join in on, as there’s some familiar faces that we’ll be forced to question. Already in the trailer we see Phantom Thread and Old star Vicky Krieps, as well as Boyd Holbrook from Logan and We Can Be Heroes, as two people that may or may not pose a threat to John David Washington. Much as you’d see in a conspiracy thriller like Beckett, those people that look like the safest bet can sometimes be the greatest threat.

Another factor worth mentioning is that Beckett’s central hero is doing all of this with a broken arm. As if John David Washington didn’t already have enough of a battle learning how to fight in reverse for Tenet, he now has to run for his life with one arm bound in front of him. The odds still seem pretty even, as we’ve all see how the man handles himself in a fight. But I'd be lying if I said that the whole injury situation didn’t present this protagonist with a unique challenge.

With the season for action blockbusters already in full swing, thanks to offerings like F9 and Black Widow keeping the box office blazing, Beckett seems to be coming at the right time. The adrenaline of movie fans will be up, and all anyone needs to do is decide to take the journey. Of course, there’s only one place you’ll find Beckett, and it’s not in a theater near you.

Continuing its campaign to deliver blockbuster originals every week in 2021, Beckett is set to invite Netflix subscribers into its world of intrigue and danger when it starts streaming on August 13th. While you wait, check out what’s headed to platform in July 2021, as there’s quite an impressive catalog of newcomers coming online.

The Tomb Raider video game franchise has been a mainstay in the industry for nearly 25 years now, first finding a place on Sega Saturn and early Playstation consoles before arriving into the current framework of gaming. Oh, and let's not forget the Hollywood movie adaptations. Most recently, Lara Croft was translated for the big screen with Alicia Vikander playing the globetrotting adventurer for 2018’s Tomb Raider. The actress went through an insane physical transformation for the role that she’ll be gearing up to repeat for the announced sequel.

Alicia Vikander was trained by world-renowned Swedish health and wellness expert Magnus Lygdback, who also got Gal Gadot in shape for Wonder Woman and helped transform Ben Affleck for Batman in the DCEU. The trainer has now shared some of the secrets involved in Alicia Vikander gaining a whopping twelve pounds of muscle for Tomb Raider with his “Magnus Method”:

The Hollywood trainer broke down some of the key elements involved in getting the Oscar-winner fit to play Lara Croft, and it’s really interesting to see the process. Magnus Lygdback said her custom diet is his most requested video thus far, but as he explains on his YouTube channel, it was tailored to her specific lifestyle, metabolism and measurements. Even so, it’s awesome to get a look into the actress’ journey to play the well-known video game character.

Magnus Lygdback explained the three cycles that go into training celebrities when they undergo major physical changes: the build up cycle, cutting cycle and the maintenance cycle, which occurs on the set of the film. That’s right, once actors get fit, they have to maintain it for months on end while also filming day-by-day! It sounds like a ton of work.

The trainer explained that working with Alicia Vikander was a specific challenge because he would not be able to join her during filming in South America. For that reason, Magnus Lygdback had the actress adopt the Ketogenic diet because he felt he could track and control it the easiest while they were apart. The actress was instructed to eat around 1,900 calories a day in a very specifically curated diet, along with her intense training that consisted mainly of strength training with a bit of cardio, mixed martial arts and other stunt training.

Twelve pounds of muscle is a huge amount for Alicia Vikander, especially since the actress is 5 feet 5 inches tall and has a 117-pound frame. The actress was previously a trained ballet dancer, but obviously Lara Croft’s skillset is a whole different game. Previously, Vikander explained that it was decided for her to put on that amount of weight based on the character doing things like pulling herself up from a bomber plane.

Alicia Vikander will return as Lara Croft for a sequel set to be written and directed by Lovecraft Country’s creator, Mischa Green. Soon it will be time for her to get back in video game shape!

When director Roar Uthaug's Tomb Raider dropped into theaters in early 2018, it performed well-enough for it to inspire sequel chatter, but also wasn't quite big enough for gears for a follow-up to instantly start grinding. Fortunately, Alicia Vikander provided a positive update last fall, revealing in an interview that Tomb Raider 2 would start the ball rolling in 2021, and now, just 25 days into the new year, it looks like the star's word is her bond because the project has just hired a very exciting filmmaker to helm the project: Lovecraft Country's Mischa Green.

The writer/director has earned great acclaim for her HBO series, and while her career thus far has been almost exclusively on television, Deadline is reporting that she has signed a deal with MGM that will see her make the untitled Tomb Raider 2. Alicia Vikander will be back to play the role of adventurer Lara Croft, following up her performance in the previous movie, which made just short of $275 million worldwide.

When the news broke, Mischa Green was quick to vaguely comment on it via her Twitter account, posting,

Should everything go according to plan, Tomb Raider 2 will be the first film directed by Mischa Green, whose only previous experience in that department was on the eighth episode of Lovecraft County Season 1. She is far from a nascent in Hollywood, however. She got her start as a staff writer on the cult FX series Sons Of Anarchy, and followed that gig by writing episodes for shows like Heroes and Spartacus. Those experiences were followed by her first showrunning gig, co-creating the WGN series Underground with co-writer Joe Pokaski. That show only lasted two seasons, ending in 2017, but she returned to the small screen as the creator of the hit Lovecraft Country in 2020. A second season has not yet been confirmed, but presumably she will balance that work with the development of the video game adaptation.

Mischa Green is notably the second director to be attached to make Tomb Raider 2, as it was reported last spring that Ben Wheatley had signed on for the gig. The news was seemingly confirmed, with the Free Fire director quoted about the future of video game movies this past October, but the new trade report doesn't mention why he doesn't seem to be involved with the production anymore.

The arrival of a new writer/director on Tomb Raider 2 suggests that the project is going to be mostly working from square one under a new administration, but hopefully it's a film that starts to come together quickly (based on her social media response, Mischa Green seems entirely prepared to jump into the whole process). The whole thing will definitely feel more real once it gets a release date, so we'll just have to have faith and exhibit patience for now.

Hollywood has its fair share of franchise that produce sequels on a regular basis. The James Bond series. Most comic book superhero adaptations. The Fast & Furious films (for now). But there are also a couple of films that have a passionate fanbase looking for a sequel, even though the movement on said follow-ups isn’t as rapid as some might hope. I’m looking at you, Alita: Battle Angel and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

To that pile, I’d also add Alicia Vikander’s Tomb Raider, an origin story and a reimagining of the classic video game that cast the actress as treasure seeker Lara Croft. Released in 2018, the adventure-thriller followed Croft on one of her first journeys, tracking her father (Dominic West) through the Devil’s Sea. Vikander spoke with Good Morning America to promote her latest film, The Glorias, and mentioned the status of the Tomb Raider sequel, saying:

That’s incredibly encouraging, as Alicia Vikander makes it sound as if she was all but prepared to head back into production on Tomb Raider 2 when the industry had to press pause because of the pandemic. Slowly but surely, though, filming on several major films has resumed – Jurassic World: Dominion, The Batman, and Spider-Man 3 being a handful that come to mind – so it’s possible that the Tomb Raider sequel can get back into a rhythm and carve out a schedule that might get it into theaters in 2022 (or beyond).

You might look at the box office for Tomb Raider 2 and wonder why Warner Bros. would move forward on it. It’s true that the movie didn’t catch fire at the domestic box office, earning $58.2 million. But as the studio likely expected, Alicia Vikander’s Tomb Raider did much better overseas, banking $216 million to push the overall cume to $274 million. Not a slam dunk, but also worthy of a follow-up film, especially for a familiar IP that has a built in audience from the video game.

It’s also wise for Warner Bros. to be divested when it comes to franchises. They can continue to lean heavily into the DC universe, as that tends to pay off dividends at the box office, and in merchandise sales. But investing in other film franchises that can carry different audiences also has strong appeal. You will see WB exploring storytelling in films such as the Fantastic Beasts series, the LEGO series, and animated fare like Scoob! But diving into Tomb Raider makes sense, and Alicia Vikander has us fired up for where this saga can go.

Making a movie in the biopic genre can be a dangerous exercise. Adhere too close to the fabric of your subject and you risk coming across as stiff, patronizing or dull. Veer too far away from your subject’s core story, though, and you risk alienating audiences who might come out to see the life of an admired person translated to the big screen.

The best biopics, in my humble opinion, strike a balance between the life led by the film’s subject, and the voice of the filmmaker attempting to put those life accomplishments on screen. That’s probably why I connected deeply with Julie Taymor’s The Glorias, a hefty, unflinchingly opinionated account of journalist Gloria Steinem’s life’s work that covers 80 years of material, but nimbly dances through the key events that helped make Steinem exactly who she is today.

The Glorias makes terrific use of Alicia Vikander, Julianne Moore and its stellar ensemble.

It’s derivative whenever a bioipic marries itself to the traditional formula set by previous works. The early years lead into the accomplishment eras, followed by a descent into inevitable decline. The Glorias circumvents that by casting four women to play noted writer and female-rights advocate Gloria Steinem at different stages of her life – then encouraging them to share scenes, interact, trade off wisdoms or reflect on things that could have gone differently if alternate decisions were made.

Julie Taymor is a visual risk-taker. Her bold decisions won her the Tony when she reimagined Disney’s The Lion King on stage (but also backfired as she worked on the controversial stage show Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark). For The Glorias, she invents an ingenious concept of a bus that carries all four Glorias – Ryan Kiera Armstrong, Lulu Wilson, Alicia Vikander and Julianne Moore – through the highlights of Steinems life. As mentioned, the women converse with each other in between re-enactments, and it provides a window into Steinem that wouldn’t be possible in a traditional biopic.

Vikander does the heaviest lifting in The Glorias, establishing the journalist’s struggles against sexism and advancements into activism during the tumultuous 1960s. There’s a lot of material to mine, and Vikander does an admirable job of personifying Steinem during adversity, passing the baton off to Moore at a time when Steinem had become an elder statesperson for causes she deemed pivotal.

The Glorias is educational without ever being preachy.

You can go into The Glorias knowing very little about Gloria Steinem, and leave the film having a better understanding of the political and social barriers she broke through. But where other screenplays might have stood on a pulpit and lectured the reasons why this person was deemed worthy of a biopic, The Glorias takes a cue from Steinem and leads with its actions.

The more we learn about Steinem, and her forceful push through frustrating inequalities, the more engrossed we become in the feature film. Julie Taymor pulls us deeper into the story as she introduces expertly-cast support characters. Lorraine Toussaint is a force of nature as civil rights advocate Flo Kennedy, and Bette Midler is the ideal choice to play the colorful Bella Abzug, a leader of the Women’s Movement who earned the nickname “Battling Bella.”

The presence of the bus isn’t Taymor’s lone flourish – not by a long shot. The director embellishes her historical actions with detours into the surreal. A male talk show host trying to figure out why Steinem didn’t yet have a husband gets sucked up in a Wizard of Oz-type tornado and spit right out of the studio while all four Glorias chant about “toil and trouble.” But the inspired asides don’t steal from the message, which pays tribute to all that Gloria Steinem accomplished on behalf of women.

If anything, The Glorias could have dug deeper into Steinem’s psyche, revealing more about the passionate reasons for her activism, or the impact that her parents had on her personality. There are hints toward the influences that sent Steinem down her various paths, and they are picked up and analyzed by Moore and Vikander. But with so much ground to cover, there’s only so much The Glorias can do without ballooning to an extreme runtime. I found that it accomplished an awful lot with the space and time it was given.

Medieval fantasy films are a tried and true genre in filmmaking, entertaining moviegoers for decades. Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings franchise was a massive sweeping adventure that dominated pop culture, while Game of Thrones was the most popular show on TV during its tenure on HBO. Now Pete's Dragon director Pete Lowery will put his own spin on the genre with the upcoming blockbuster The Green Knight.

The Green Knight is set in the days of King Arthur, but will follow a different set of characters. Slumdog Millionaire's Dev Patel stars as protagonist Sir Gawain, Arthur's nephew. He sets off on a mission to find the Green Knight, who is supposed to be a giant green-skinned monster. The movie's first trailer just arrived, check it out.

The tale of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is an ancient story from the 14th century, that's been adapted into film a couple of times before. This new version, The Green Knight certainly shows us a handful of moments that those of us that studied medieval literature in college will certainly remember. At the same time, we also see a lot her that shows this new adaptation will include some fresh elements not present in the original story.

The trailer is really well put together. It's spooky and dark and certainly will have people wondering what's in store for Dev Patel's character.

For those of us that didn't study the story in school Sir Gawain and the Green Knight tells the story of the titular Green Knight, who arrives at King Arthur's court at Camelot with a challenge. He dares any member of King Arthur's court to strike him with an axe. The catch is that a year and a day later, the Green Knight will have the chance to return the blow. King Arthur's nephew, Sir Gawain takes up the challenge, and actually beads the Green Knight, but the Green Knight then stands up laughs, picks up his head, and reminds Gawain they have a date for a year and a day from now.

The majority of the story follows Gawain as he travels to the appointed location for what he assumes will be his death. Without spoiling the ending, one gets the impression from this trailer that things won't quite end up in the movie the way the original story ended. Sir Gawain works best as one piece in the larger canon of Arthurian Legend. As a stand alone story, it will likely need a few changes.

We see the beheading of the Green Knight in the trailer told as part of a puppet show. It's a safe bet that we'll still see the actual event in the film. The movie looks to focus much more on the year and a day period between the two events, which will give us an opportunity to get to know Sir Gawain a bit better in order to establish a strong character arc.

The Green Knight will be in theaters in May.

MAJOR SPOILERS ahead on the Alicia Vikander movie Earthquake Bird, which premiered November 15 on Netflix.

Alicia Vikander and Riley Keough star in Earthquake Bird, which just premiered on Netflix. The twisty Netflix film, directed by Wash Westmoreland and executive produced by Ridley Scott, is based on the novel by Susanna Jones, and the endings are a bit different in some key ways. For one thing, Teiji doesn't die in the book. Let's get into it.

How The Earthquake Bird Movie Builds Toward Its Ending

Alicia Vikander stars in Earthquake Bird as Lucy Fly, who is Swedish -- like the actress -- in the movie and works as a translator in Japan. (Apparently it was "a lot of work" for Alicia Vikander to learn Japanese, as she said in a behind-the-scenes video.)

The wildly charismatic Naoki Kobayashi plays Teiji, whom Lucy meets when he takes her photograph on the street. They slowly build a unique relationship that is tested by Lucy's jealousy when she sees Teiji's past photos of a previous girlfriend, and especially when Lucy meets and befriends Lily Bridges.

In the movie, Lily (Riley Keough) is a free-spirited American who just moved to Japan for a fresh start. Lily and Teiji become close -- a little too close -- bringing out Lucy's jealous side. Lily tries to apologize to Lucy, but Lucy turns her away -- even though Lily (who has some psychic abilities) says she feels like something bad is going to happen. She's right!

Earthquake Bird's storyline isn't told in a linear fashion, so when we first meet Lucy she is only just returning to work after taking some time off to grieve her relationship with Teiji and friendship with Lily. She's told by a co-worker that a body that's found was suspected to be her friend Lily. Lucy is brought in for questioning and eventually confesses to killing Lily. But she didn't do it. Turns out, the body they found was not Lily after all. We never even learn who that poor person was.

How The Earthquake Bird Movie Ends

After Lucy randomly tells the police her tragic life story anyway -- that she felt responsible for the death of her brother, and had other deaths follow in her life, so she felt responsible for Lily too -- she goes to Teiji's apartment and breaks into his cabinet with all of his photographs. She finds photos of Lily and eventually sees one that shows Lily is dead. Teiji killed her and took the photo.

Lucy takes the folder of photos and brings them to the police station. The detective she knows is not on duty so, for some reason, she doesn't just give the folder to another cop. She leaves and goes home. Lo and behold, Teiji is waiting for her. He says they could run away together. She rejects the idea and tells him it's over. So he gets violent and tries to choke her to death on the couch. She reaches behind her and finds some glass to break over his head. A shard gets stuck in his head and he pulls it out, staring at her as he dies -- similar to how Lucy described her brother staring back at her as he died, after she jumped down on him in her childhood bullying story.

The Final Scene Of The Earthquake Bird Movie

The Earthquake Bird movie gives a final scene where Lucy goes back to see Mrs. Katoh, her friend and fellow musician. Lucy admits Lily came to see her and asked to come in and Lucy didn't let her. Mrs. Katoh says it wasn't Lucy's fault that Lily died. Lucy insists it was. Mrs. Katoh says perhaps Lily saved her life. Lucy says there are other deaths she also feels responsible for, including Mrs. Yamamoto, who had fallen down Mrs. Katoh's own stairs earlier in the movie.

Mrs. Katoh then confesses her own feelings of guilt over Mrs. Yamamoto's death. She tells Lucy she waxed the stairs two days before Mrs. Y fell, something she only does once every two years. She had been worried the steps were slippery. She meant to warn Mrs. Yamamoto earlier that day when they spoke on the phone, but didn't think of it until they hung up. Mrs. Katoh says it was actually her fault, not Lucy's.

In the final shot of the movie, Lucy reaches out her hand and she and Mrs. Katoh both cry, with Lucy seeming to find comfort in the idea that she isn't the only one carrying guilt.

How The Earthquake Bird Book Ends

In the book, Teiji is still the one who killed Lily and we still find out through photographs of dead Lily. However, Lucy does not kill Teiji in the book. Teiji is still alive, and the book ends with Lucy getting chillls, thinking she hears a camera click in the bushes, with Teiji still out there waiting for her.

The book does have a somewhat similar scene toward the end with Lucy and Mrs. Katoh, but it's before details about Teiji's photos come out. Lucy tells Mrs. Katoh she didn't mean to kill Mrs. Yamamoto, it was an accident. She put her cello in a different place and didn't know Mrs. Yamamoto would fall over it. Mrs. Katoh asks what she's talking about, since everyone knew Mrs. Yamamoto was always so clumsy and they all knew she'd have an accident one day. That's as far as that conversation goes.

After that, Lucy -- who is English in the book, like Lily -- is cleared by the police with no charges because the cops can't find any DNA on Lily's body. After details appear about Lucy in the newspapers, the police receive an envelope with two photographs. The first shows Lily at a McDonalds near Lucy's place, with the pic taken on the night of the murder, two hours after Lily was seen at Lucy's front door. The cashier recognized Lily and said she and her male Japanese friend had some kind of argument. The second photograph shows a woman squashed within walls, head lolling to one side. There are no fingerprints on the photos, no way to prove Teiji took them, and the police don't know he did. But Lucy does. The photos don't prove that Teiji killed Lily, but they do prove that Lucy didn't, since she is accounted for elsewhere at that time.

The book ends after a bit of time has passed. Lucy considers a trip to England to see Lily's parents, who might like a visit from someone who knew Lily in Japan. Lucy also visits with Mrs. Katoh and another friend at Mrs. Katoh's home in Japan, and that's where Lucy is at the very end of the book. But the final page has her hearing a noise outside the house and thinking at first it's an earthquake bird -- the humming bird sound after every earthquake. She hears a rustling in the trees and then "the unmistakable sound of a camera clicking." She looks around for Teiji but only sees trees and bushes. Here are the final lines of the book:

So the book ends with the idea that Teiji could still be out there photographing Lucy, unless it's just in her mind. In the book, Lucy sometimes refers to herself in third person and there's a similar sense of events getting confused. Throughout the movie, viewers are led to question Lucy as an unreliable narrator, with scenes that suggest Lucy is imagining things, or just remembering something that happened at a different time.

It's like Joker and Netflix's Fractured, and so many other movies with ambiguous twist endings that like to keep fans' guessing (and also, sometimes, confused).

What did you think of Earthquake Bird? Here are more Netflix originals still to come in 2019.

Movie sequels, like Thanos, are inevitable. Having said that, movie sequels, are also, usually pretty obvious. Impressive box office performance often leads to immediate rumors that sequels are at least being considered. 2018's Tomb Raider was one of those movies that left itself open to potential franchising, but following a lukewarm box office, nobody was really talking about sequels. And yet, now we're talking about sequels, because Alicia Vikander's Tomb Raider is apparently getting one.

Deadline is reporting that not only is the movie happening, it has a director, in Free Fire's Ben Wheatley, and a release date of March 19, 2021.

In 2018 the Tomb Raider video game franchise was rebooted on the big screen with Alicia Vikander in the lead role as Lara Croft. The movie did decently well at the box office, bringing in just short of $275 million worldwide. Reviews of the movie were lukewarm at best. They were pretty good for "a video game movie" but that's about as good as it got.

Sequels was certainly what people wanted to see from Tomb Raider, but the numbers seemed tough to justify. With a reported production budget of around $100 million, the movie may been slightly profitable, but certainly not to the degree that the powers that be were hoping to see.

It was previously reported that Amy Jump, who collaborated with Ben Weatley on both Free Fire and High Rise, was penning a script, but you'd be forgiven for not even knowing that. Tomb Raider grossed less than $100 million domestically, it just wasn't a movie people were dying to see the first time.

Having said that, the pairing of Ben Weatley and Amy Jump to make this movie is certainly an intriguing idea. The movies they have made together have certainly been unique and have a style all their own. Perhaps that sort of flare is what a property like Tomb Raider needs.

Last year's Tomb Raider (did it seriously only come out last year?) was loosely based on the 2013 Tomb Raider video game, which itself was a reboot of the game series. It acted as an origin story for the character, which saw her shipwrecked on an island and forced to fend for herself in order to survive. That game series has seen two additional entries since then, so there's material to adapt for a new movie if that's the plan, otherwise the movie could go off in a wholly original direction.

I actually really enjoyed the newest Tomb Raider movie, more than most, at least, but even I had sort of missed that a sequel was even in the cards. The movie was fun at the time but I'd sort of forgotten it had even happened. It just wasn't something I was looking for. Now that it's here, I'm not sure what to even do with this information.

Netflix's Dark Crystal television series just kicked things into high-gear with the announcement of an all-star vocal cast. Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance will tell an epic new story that takes place years before the events of the 1982 film.

The prequel series will return viewers to the world Thra by way of an all-new adventure. That adventure will involve three Gelflings who discover the "horrifying secret" behind the power of the Skeksis. They will then set out on an "epic journey" to ignite a rebellion and in turn, "save their world."

Along for the ride in telling that story are some of entertainment's brightest stars. From Game of Thrones to Outlander, television's titans will be joined by major movie stars.

Giving voice to the three main characters are Kingsman's Taron Egerton as Rian, The Witch's Anya Taylor-Joy as Brea, and Game of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel as Deet. Quite a dream trio.

Other actors giving voice to Gelfling characters are Outlander's Caitriona Balfe, The Crown's Helena Bonham-Carter, and Trust's Harris Dickinson. No details about their characters have been given, other than they are playing Gelflings.

Joining Nathalie Emmanuel from the Game of Thrones cast is series alum Natalie Dormer. She will voice a Gelfling character along with Hannibal's Eddie Izzard and Star Trek: Discovery's Shazad Latif.

The Gelfing characters will have no shortage of talented actors giving them a voice. The Divergent franchise and Castlevania voice actor Theo James will star alongside Sherlock's Toby Jones. Also starring will be Cloverfield Paradox's Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The actress is no stranger to Netflix shows. Mbatha-Raw previously starred in a highly-acclaimed episode of the streamer's anthology, Black Mirror.

Taron Egerton's Kingsman co-star Mark Strong will join Egerton in voicing a Gelfling in Dark Crystal. Rounding out the cast of Gelflings is the star of the Tomb Raider reboot, Alicia Vikander. Heading up the listed cast of Skeksis and Mystics is The Good Wife's Harvey Fierstein.

Harvey Fierstein will be joined by Star Wars legend and Knightfall Season 2 star Mark Hamill. The OA and Star Trek: Discovery's Jason Isaacs and Game of Thrones' Ralph Ineson will also lend their voices to the Dark Crystal series.

It is possible; Simon Pegg of the Mission: Impossible and Star Trek film franchise will voice one of the Skeksis and Mystics. Joining him will be Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Andy Samberg.

Friends from College and Key and Peele star Keegan-Michael Key and Trapped's Ólafur Darri Ólafsson will also voice characters. Details other than their playing Skeksis and Mystics is not known.

With a cast as epic as the one Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance has put together, it can only be an epic series. Netflix did not reveal an exact release date for the series. It will premiere at some point in 2019. Many shows have premiered on the streaming giant this fall and will continue to in the new year.

Alicia Vikander has officially stepped into the boots of the young and inexperienced Lara Croft for Roar Uthaug's Tomb Raider and taken her place in the Hollywood pantheon as a new action icon. Though critics have not showered the film with universal acclaim yet, there seems to be a consensus that Vikander delivers a scene-stealing performance as the badass heroine. With that in mind, the debut of Tomb Raider naturally raises one crucial question: should Alicia Vikander double down and make Tomb Raider 2? Well, as it turns out, the answer to that question is a hard "yes!"

As an origin story exploring the birth of the Lara Croft that fans know and love, Tomb Raider has to shoulder quite a bit of exposition to get us up-to-speed. This tends to slow down the first act of the current film, as it puts all of the pieces in place. However, once Tomb Raider actually gets going and sends Lara on her mission to find out the truth behind her father's disappearance, the film kicks into a higher gear and delivers a near-perfect adaptation of the rebooted games. We finally have a video game film that seems to understand the formula behind its source material, and with a proper world established, we could see the Tomb Raider franchise continue to dissect that video game Lara in a way that fans have waited decades to see.

Warning: spoilers ahead for Tomb Raider! Read ahead at your own risk!

There's also the fact that Tomb Raider ends with the promise of more story for Lara Croft. By the time the origin story concludes, we understand that Trinity has infiltrated the highest levels of Croft Holdings, with Lara now aware that Ana Miller (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a wolf in sheep's clothing who wants to use the company for her own nefarious purposes. Tomb Raider's ending is the definition of a cliffhanger, and this new incarnation of Lara deserves more films to explore that story.

Moreover, we need to say that a refusal to return to this Tomb Raider landscape would ultimately waste Alicia Vikander's fantastic work building this character. The Oscar-winner threw herself into the creation of this Lara; between her physical transformation and her commitment to the character's emotional core, audiences have discovered one of the most compelling action movie heroes in recent memory.

In fact, at one point during Tomb Raider's run, Lara even makes a crack about not being a superhero, and while it seems like a simple one-off line, it actually highlights why Tomb Raider works so well. In a landscape dominated by films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the DCEU, it's genuinely refreshing to get a film that doesn't feature a hero who shrugs off bullets or wears a cape. Alicia Vikander's Lara screams in pain when she gets hurt, she barely overcomes her enemies in combat, and the burgeoning badass continually makes mistakes that she needs to learn from during her mission. She's a heroine with so much more room to grow and evolve, and a hypothetical Tomb Raider 2 could inch the dial forward ever-so-slightly by finally allowing her to fire her two iconic handguns.

Beyond the sheer potential for story in the newly-rebooted Tomb Raider universe, it's also worth addressing the fact that there's financial incentive to keep a sequel in mind. Domestically, Tomb Raider wasn't able to beat Black Panther at the box office, but the video game adaptation's international run is going quite well. As of right now, Tomb Raider has cleared its $94 million production budget and has thus far raked in roughly $126 million globally, which will likely go up in the coming days. Money talks, and the international success of Tomb Raider seems to indicate that a sequel could similarly serve as a global cash cow for Warner Bros.

CinemaBlend will bring you more information related to Tomb Raider and the possibility of a sequel getting made as more details become available to us. For now, check out our full review of the film, keep an eye out for all of our up-to-date coverage on it, and check it out in theaters for yourself to see the latest addition to the video game film genre!

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The following contains minor spoilers for Tomb Raider.

Alicia Vikander has talked at length about the physical work that she did in order to get just the right look for Tomb Raider. However, she told us why it was so important for the film that she do it. Vikander is a trained dancer and so she's already fit and athletic, but she told CinemaBlend that, for Tomb Raider, it was necessary that she be physically strong in order to make the things Lara Croft does in the movie look plausible. According to Vikander...

Lara Croft finds herself in over her head in Tomb Raider, shipwrecked on an island with few resources to aid her. However, she does have her natural abilities which go a long way in helping her overcome the obstacles. In fact, the first act of the movie basically exists to show where Lara's physical strength comes from so that it makes sense to see her use it later on. She makes her living on her bicycle, which keeps her fit, but that's not all she does.

Of course, building the 12 pounds of muscle that Alicia Vikander put on in order to look like a realistic physical threat takes work. In addition to the exercise, the diet she was on was quite specific, limiting what foods she was allowed to eat. Vikander told us that the thing she missed most was carbs, leading to her eating some foods more often on her "cheat days" than she normally would, simply because she wasn't allowed to have them otherwise.

At least the weight training wasn't entirely painful as pizza was an option once a week. There's no denying that Lara Croft looks like she's capable of kicking some ass and doing some pretty impressive physical work that the plot of Tomb Raider requires. Tomb Raider is in theaters now.

If there's one movie genre that is still waiting for its first wild success, its video game adaptations. Movies based off of popular gaming franchise have done historically terrible, from 1993's Super Mario Brothers to the recent attempt at an Assassin's Creed film. Warner Bros. is trying to change this with Tomb Raider, based off of the video game series of the same name. The new blockbuster will be more in line with the newest games, and looks wholly different from the previous franchise led by Angelina Jolie. Many fans were hoping Jolie might pop up in a cameo, although sadly it didn't come to fruition. CinemaBlend's Conner Schwerdtfeger recently spoke to producer Graham King, who revealed why Angelina didn't have a role in Tomb Raider. He said,

It looks like there just wasn't an organic way to work Angelina Jolie into the narrative of Tomb Raider. While fans would have loved to see her recognize Alicia Vikander as the new Lara Croft, there wasn't a way to put the Oscar winning actress into the new sequel. Plus, who knows of Angelina would even want to appear? After all, she famously departed the franchise after the less than stellar outing of Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life.

Perhaps the most obvious choice for a possible role for Angelina Jolie would be to play Ana Miller, who is one of Lara's father's associates. Played in the new film by British actress Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, Ana has a throughline in the plot that also may have implications for a possible sequel. This might have been a possible role for Jolie (if she wanted it), although they went with a more appropriate choice with Thomas.

While some fans may have hoped for Angelina Jolie joining Tomb Raider and meeting the new Lara Croft, the two franchises couldn't be more different. The new movie is far more gritty and real than the previous two films, which had ample camp and gunfights. It was based off of the most recent Tomb Raider game franchise, which puts an emphasis on Lara's survival skills in the wild, and abilities with a bow and arrow.

Tomb Raider is in theaters now. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

After almost two decades of dust, Tomb Raider has gotten a cinematic upgrade with its latest reboot. Lara Croft is about to return to our screens, and adventure is coming with her. But is said adventure worthy of the ultimate treasure -- a stellar 3D conversion?! Well, before you head out to the theater, let us help you determine how you'll be spending your time on the island where Lara's legend begins. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to ponder that time-tested question, "To 3D, or not to 3D?"

If you're interested on how the film impressed our official reviewer, you can read that summation elsewhere. But for the purposes of this column, we'll be evaluating the scope and quality of the 3D presentation of Tomb Raider. So pack your map, and grab your hat, it's time to cross the window and see if this new reboot deserves the third dimensional treatment.

While Tomb Raider isn't a pitch perfect fit for a 3D conversion, the film still has a lot of aspects that could make for quite the 3D spectacle. With puzzles, traps, and a lot of Lara Croft's POV on display, the eye can feast on some action packed visuals in the third dimension. Though this isn't always the case with Tomb Raider, as there's also a very personal and dramatic component to the film's narrative that isn't exactly 3D ready.

When you've got a movie like Tomb Raider in your hands, there's two main components you need to keep in mind when it comes to 3D: there are good chunks of the adventure in the dark, and things will be shooting towards the camera. And yet, with the rest of the 3D conversion working rather well, those two factors fall a bit behind. For the most part though, the planning and effort into this 3D presentation seems pretty solid.

If a 3D movie throws objects at the audience with great effect, then that means they've penetrated beyond the window and into the theater. To a certain extent, this effect can be felt in Tomb Raider, as there's debris and traps that manage to fly towards your vision during Tomb Raider. Unfortunately, for the most part, those aspects stop short of breaking out of the screen and into the audience's line of sight. So while there's great projectile effects, there's only really one sequence that'll make you flinch, and that's towards the end of the third act.

The depth of picture on display in Tomb Raider is pretty damned amazing. While the spatial reasoning is solid, with characters being separated by clear lines of depth, there are background effects that allow the farthest layer of the picture to look like they're part of the action. Some films feel like they're 3D films playing out in front of static backgrounds, but that's far from the truth with this film.

At the beginning of this film, I really thought Tomb Raider was going to be a solid experience throughout, as the picture was crisp and clear, with very good lighting in its employ. Of course, this hope was dashed when the film started entering darker visual territory. By time the adventure shifts to the jungles and tombs of the film's action, Tomb Raider finds its image obscured by the dimming effect of the 3D glasses you're required to wear throughout the film. This makes some of the scenes in the film's action packed climax almost unwatchable, and spoils the promise the film built up early on.

Blurriness in a 3D conversion is usually a good sign of how much effort went into the manipulation of the image into the 3D medium.With that in mind, Tomb Raider has some pretty exceptional blur once you take your glasses off. There are very few instances where you'll catch the picture looking even close to 2D, and even then that serves as more of an anchor for the rest of the picture to work its magic around. But the majority of this film is presented at some level of blur or another, from the subtle to the pronounced.

With any good 3D movie, there's a period of adjustment that helps bring the viewer's eyesight on board with ease. Tomb Raider doesn't have that transition period, as the film jumps head first into the world of the Croft family, and has quite a bit of action from the word go. Naturally, your eyes might be a little confused in the beginning, but buy the end, the film stabilizes and allows its audience to keep up with the images being shown. By time the film's action heavy third act kicks in, it's smooth sailing, minus the brightness issues.

Tomb Raider has a pretty well-done 3D conversion, despite some problems in both brightness and lack of assets being thrown out at the audience. It's one of the crispest pictures I've seen in a 3D presentation, and it manages to make even smaller, personal moments look remarkable.

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Video game movies don't have sterling reputations in Hollywood. While some may argue that there have been a handful of solid video game adaptations over the years, the consensus among many mainstream moviegoers seems to be that there's a video game movie curse. With such an atmosphere surrounding the genre, one may assume that it would discourage Alicia Vikander from signing on as Lara Croft in Roar Uthaug's Tomb Raider reboot. However, in a recent interview with CinemaBlend, Vikander explained that she didn't think about the video game movie curse while shooting the film because would have only distracted her. The Oscar-winner said:

Focusing on the negative in any situation can lead to anxiety and paralysis, so Alicia Vikander simply didn't address the concept of a video game movie curse in her approach to portraying Lara Croft. Instead, she focused her attention on the elements of the story that appealed to her as an actress and as a burgeoning action star, with her only real concern coming from the fact that Angelina Jolie had already explored this territory with her work on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life.

With all of that said, Alicia Vikander's questions eventually received definitive answers. Though she initially questioned the rationale behind making new Tomb Raider movies, she understood the value of returning to the franchise once introduced to the 2013 reboot series from which this film takes ample inspiration. Vikander continued:

In that regard, Tomb Raider is already trying to do something different from other Tomb Raider movies and other video game movies. The film aims to tell an origin story in the vein of classic hero origins like Casino Royale and Wonder Woman as much as it captures the feeling of the games, and that aim to do something different with the video game genre ultimately lured her in for the role. Now it's a matter of waiting to see how audiences respond to it.

On that note, audiences will get a chance to see Alicia Vikander kick some serious ass as Lara Croft when Tomb Raider debuts this weekend on March 16. Keep an eye out for all of CinemaBlend's great coverage of the film, and head over to our 2018 movie premiere guide to see what other major motion pictures are set to debut this year.

Alicia Vikander has talked a lot about the training she underwent leading into the filming of her upcoming movie Tomb Raider. The actress put on 12 pounds of muscle and did a lot of cross-training, including rock climbing and swimming, to get fit for the role. She had to do plenty of action sequences during filming after putting on all that muscle, but recently Vikander revealed that the hardest thing to shoot was not even the sort of scene that she anticipated. She said that filming the water scenes almost caused her to give up, noting,

If you've caught the trailer for Tomb Raider, you've probably already seen Alicia Vikander's Lara Croft take off in a boat. She's looking into her late father's work and this means journeying to a mysterious island through storm-laden waters. Obviously the rough water would be difficult to shoot in, but Vikander also made it clear a few months ago that the water scenes were particularly got to the point where they were a bit scary. At one point, she even mentioned having to re-film scenes because she got too cold that she "turned too blue" for the camera. Now, she's speaking out, noting these scenes were the hardest to film for the movie.

We've heard Tomb Raider even filmed water scenes at the London venue for Olympic rafting, but Alicia Vikander revealed that the water scenes were the most difficult action sequences to shoot while speaking to Variety at the movie's premiere. If you've looked into the film at all, you probably noticed from all of the footage we've glimpsed that the movie has plenty of action sequences, including some really cool-looking stuff in a tomb. Vikander has been clear that the character of Lara Croft has been around for 22 years and that she feels there is room for multiple versions of the character in the pop culture landscape, noting her character will be different than the Angeline Jolie iteration. And now we only have a few more days to wait and see how the movie itself pans out.

If you are pumped for the new take on the popular video game character, you can catch Tomb Raider starting on March 16, or take a look at some of the critical reactions for the film, here. In addition, if you'd like to know more about the upcoming film, you can take a look at our full guide.

Second chances are a dime a dozen in the entertainment industry. What didn't work the first time -- or, what worked very well, but then tapered off -- frequently gets a new opportunity for a fresh start. That creative cycle is perfectly personified by the Tomb Raider IP, which launched as a video game for the PlayStation in 1996, triggered numerous video game sequels, inspired a silver-screen adaptation (starring Angelina Jolie) which ALSO got a sequel, was rebooted in 2013 as a reintroduction to young Lara Croft, and now sees that series getting a movie version starring Alicia Vikander in the role.

That's a lot of tombs, and a whole lot of raiding. Your interest in this latest endeavor may vary depending on how many hours you've logged following Lara Croft on her various adventures, and how much leniency you grant the franchise. Because where my generation was blessed with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, this film strikes me more as Lara Croft and the Temple of Dumb.

Director Roar Uthaug (The Wave) treats Tomb Raider as Batman Begins for Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander), introducing our eventual adventurer as a scrappy London bike messenger who hasn't yet accepted her destiny as a global expeditioner, and seeker of antique treasures. Which is a fine approach, and one that works as we establish Lara's environment. The script tells us that Lara's a thrill-seeker (she kickboxes another female fighter and participates in an elaborate bike chase around London, all in the first 15 minutes of the film), though she's compensating for the mysterious disappearance of her father, Lord Richard Croft (Dominic West), who one day left on a business trip and told young Lara, "I'll be back before you know I'm gone." Seven years later, Richard's still missing, and Lara won't accept that he might be dead.

That's smart, because clues begin to surface that Lord Richard was on to something bigger. His work surrounded the ancient burial of Himiko, a mythical queen who reportedly possessed supernatural powers. Richard tracked Himiko to the middle of the Devil's Sea. Now his daughter, desperate to prove her father might still be alive, follows his trail, finding danger and death-defying obstacles along the way.

Tomb Raider is a faithful adaptation of the 2013 video game reboot, which itself was the tenth title in the ongoing gaming series. Alicia Vikander is a prim and polished Lara, owning the physicality of the role while also deftly recreating, sometimes beat for beat, the action maneuvers from the game. A suitable subtitle for the film easily could have been Tomb Raider: How Many Different Ways Can We Physically Torture Alicia Vikander, for the actress takes a beating on this adventure. I wanted to wave the white flag on her behalf nearly 30 minutes before the end credits rolled.

And yet, for all of its dedication to breathing life into the game, the movie Tomb Raider doesn't establish its own sense of adventure, or dial into a genuine rush or tingle that comes with watching an action movie. The film competently restages sequences from the game, yet the set pieces -- aside from one memorable progression involving an airplane and a waterfall -- lack invention. Watching Tomb Raider also convinced me that the planned Uncharted movie probably should be shelved, for I see it facing a number of similar obstacles. Archaeological puzzles, which are fun to crack when you are controlling Lara Croft in the game, are chaotic and silly when translated to the screen. And while I can't fully critique the movie without ruining what Lara finds on the central island of the movie, I will just say that the mystery of Himiko and the threat that she presents, is comically bad, and the movie's third act -- even with the aid of wonderful character actor Walton Goggins -- cannot recover from the ludicrous twists that occur in Himiko's tomb.

How ironic that real-life couple Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender unleashed dueling video game properties into the world (his was 2016's misfire, Assassin's Creed), and both ended up being marginally competent but ultimately muddled action thrillers that mishandled their game's central mythology and failed to launch a franchise -- even though launching a franchise was clearly the goal of both films. When it comes to movies adapted from video games, the argument always boils down to this, "Is it more fun to actually play the adventure, or is it more fun to sit in a theater and watch the game be played for you?" Tomb Raider, like so many films to come before it, casts a vote in the Play It column.

Warning: possible mild spoilers ahead for Tomb Raider! Don't read any further if you want to go into the reboot completely blind!

For many, Lara Croft remains inextricable from the imagery of a woman dual-wielding two large-caliber handguns while making her way through a crypt. That has been the go-to look of Lara for decades, but don't expect to see her blasting away at bad guys in Roar Uthaug's Tomb Raider. In fact, she never fires a gun in the movie. To figure out why the film went with that bold move, CinemaBlend recently sat down with Tomb Raider producer Graham King at the film's press day in Los Angeles, and he said that it was all about keeping things grounded and realistic. As King explained:

This incarnation of the Tomb Raider saga is a clear origin story modeled after the 2013 reboot game. In the spirit of telling the tale of how Lara goes on to become a tomb raider, the folks behind the movie wanted to show a survivalist heroine who isn't a trained killer and not a soldier. She's a tough woman with an affinity for mixed martial arts, archery, and a wide variety of extreme sports, but she's not prepared for real combat and therefore never picks up a weapon that she's not trained to use.

That's not to say that there aren't hints at Lara's classic pistols in the movie. The trailers have already shown sequences in which she playfully holds her two badass handguns, which seems to suggest that Tomb Raider at least lays the groundwork for that Lara to eventually show up in a sequel. It's not a matter of never letting her use a gun; it's just not right for this particular story.

Taking the guns out of Lara's hand is a big step for the Tomb Raider franchise as a whole. The original Angelina Jolie-led Tomb Raider films leaned heavily into the gunplay to stage many of their action sequences, and the 2013 reboot game even allowed Lara to eventually get her hands on firearms in the later levels of the story. That said, in the process of translating that grounded and gritty Lara Croft to the silver screen, everyone involved in the 2018 movie ultimately decided that there were more realistic and exciting ways to turn her into a weapon without her pulling a trigger.

Alicia Vikander's Lara Croft will go on her first deadly adventure when Tomb Raider debuts in theaters this weekend on March 16. Keep an eye out for all of CinemaBlend's awesome Tomb Raider coverage and then head over to our movie premiere guide to see what other films are set to debut this year!

If you've seen one of the trailers for Tomb Raider, you likely already know that the movie's lead, Alicia Vikander looks like a total badass in the new movie. While female-driven, however, there will actually be fewer females than dudes in Tomb Raider, a fact which was pointed out to Vikander during a recent appearance on the BBC program The One Show. Host Alex Jones mentioned she was "slightly disappointed" that Vikander was the lead and then there were only two other small roles for ladies in the flick. The actress responded to the interviewer bringing up the lack of women in the movie, saying,

Although Alicia Vikander put on 12 pounds of muscle and trained like a boss for months to play the iconic character, and ended up looking like a total badass, it seems some people are concerned that the script writers only really put two other ladies in the movie in smaller roles, with Hannah John-Kamen playing Sophie and Kristin Scott Thomas signed on playing Ana Miller. Emily Carey also has a minor part playing Young Lara at age 14. For much of the rest of the movie, Vikander's Lara Croft will be on her own, or dealing with males of the species.

Granted, one of the men in Tomb Raider is none other than Walton Goggins, and I'm never going to complain about him popping up, whether that be in movies, TV, or random Drive-By Truckers shows I've attended. Still, from what Alicia Vikander told The One Show (via Metro), perhaps the movie could have substituted Goggins, or Daniel Wu or Nick Frost, etc for one more lady. (Although probably not Dominic West, considering he plays Lord Richard Croft and the whole premise of the movie has Lara Croft looking into her father and his life's work.)

It should be noted that for a big budget movie, Tomb Raider's cast is on the smaller side. The movie itself will follow Lara Croft as she decides to figure out what happened with her father's death. This will lead her to search for a "fabled tomb on a mythical island," an island where a good chunk of the plot should unfold. If you haven't looked into the upcoming movie yet, you can check out the trailer, below.

Tomb Raider hits theater soon, on March 16. If you'd like to take a look at what we know about the movie so far, you can check out our full guide.

A little over two decades have passed since Lara Croft first made her way to home video game consoles, courtesy of the Tomb Raider series of games. And, it's only been a couple years short of that same mark since we've seen her first take to the silver screen, thanks to Angelina Jolie and Paramount's series of two successful films. But now, just as a new age of the Tomb Raider has dawned in the game series, a new raider will rise in the realm of the cinematic!

This March, Tomb Raider reboots the journey that started with Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2001, and with that reboot comes a slew of new faces and even fresher adventures ahead of the heiress turned rogue archaeologist. So, now it's time to look at what's to be expected of this new Croft-y adventure, and go over what we know so far. But before we do, get acquainted with the new world of Lara Croft by watching the Tomb Raider trailer below.

Well, it looks like this Tomb Raider is going to be something we can really look forward to, so let's get into what we know about the new movie!

What Is Tomb Raider's Release Date?

Taking full advantage of the new niche that's been carved out for action / adventure start-ups, Tomb Raider is set to be released on March 16th, 2018. It will have an IMAX 3D and RealD 3D release, in addition to the conventional theatrical release. This puts the film in a bit of a rough patch competition wise, as the week it hits theaters, the film will be pitted against Love, Simon. Meanwhile, the week before Tomb Raider is released, A Wrinkle In Time debuts, and the week after has Pacific Rim: Uprising stomping into the arena.

What Is Tomb Raider's Rating?

Tomb Raider has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America, for "sequences of violence and action, and some language." Looking at the film's trailer, and even the promo art for the film, it definitely looks like Lara Croft is going to get more than a bit banged up. Thankfully, the official rating gives the impression that teenagers without parental guidance won't see anything too gruesome, or hear anything too sweary. This rating is in line with the original franchise, as both Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life were also handed PG-13 ratings themselves.

Who Is Tomb Raider's Director?

Bringing Tomb Raider into the modern era is Norwegian director Roar Uthaug, who is best known for his 2015 dramatic disaster film The Wave. Previous to that film gaining Uthaug the attention of the folks in Hollywood, he had made other short films such as DX13036 and The Martian Administration, with this being Roar Uthaug's first big budget blockbuster for mainstream audiences. Though Uthaug isn't forgetting his roots just yet, as he's also working on a sequel to The Wave, entitled, The Quake.

Who Are Tomb Raider's Writers?

The new Tomb Raider film has three different writers credited as contributing to the film's script. The story was crafted by writers Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Evan Daughterty, while the screenplay was a collaboration between Robertson-Dworet and writer Alastair Siddons. The mixed pedigree of this bunch is worth paying attention to, as they've all got some interesting projects to their credit.

Daughterty himself is known for blockbusters such as Snow White and The Huntsman and its sequel, the first Divergent film, as well the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot for Michael Bay. Meanwhile, Siddons comes from a more indie background, with his major credit being the film Trespass Against Us, which starred Alicia Vikander's husband, Michael Fassbender. But, most interesting is the resume that Geneva Robertson-Dworet holds, which has her as a writer for the third Guy Richie Sherlock Holmes film, as well as the upcoming Marvel Studios film, Captain Marvel.

The Previous Tomb Raider Franchise

The Tomb Raider series is certainly no stranger to the world of the cinematic, as two previous films were made that committed Lara Croft's adventures to the big screen. Both films saw Angelina Jolie bring Lara to life, and in June 2001 Lara Croft: Tomb Raider debuted at the top of the box office - starting its eventual $274.5 million run against a $115 million budget, and giving the world an early glimpse at two future talents. Those up and comers were Game of Thrones' Iain Glen and future James Bond himself, Daniel Craig.

With a pretty solid first time out, a sequel was obviously going to happen, and it did in 2003 with Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life. The follow-up wasn't as well received as its predecessor, as it opened fourth at the box office during the summer that saw Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl making massive waves. The film had a $95 million budget, and yielded a $156.5 million box office draw worldwide, with Gerard Butler co-starring against Jolie's returning rogue archaeologist. Paramount saw this as an encouraging enough sign to continue, but Angelina Jolie was through with the character, and she felt no inclination for a planned third film in a potential trilogy. And so, for the time being, the series went into the Croft family crypt, waiting to be revived.

What Is The Tomb Raider Reboot About?

Fifteen years after Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, a reboot will take us to an earlier era of Lara Croft, one where she's just starting to become the woman we all know and love. This new film, much like the video game franchise it's based off of, starts its story with material from the 2013 video game Tomb Raider: A Survivor Is Born. After losing her father under mysterious circumstances, Lara Croft uncovers a startling truth: the well respected businessman the world knew as Lord Richard Croft was secretly a rogue archeologist. In the process of investigating her father's disappearance, she's lead to the Dragon's Triangle - his last known location, and current location of a survivor of that expedition, Mattias Vogel. While Lara's out to uncover the secrets her father sought out, Mattias has an agenda all on his own, and both will collide after Lara finds herself shipwrecked in that very same region.

Lara Croft

The character of Lara Croft, and her origins, have changed throughout the three eras of storytelling that Tomb Raider's video game equivalent has evolved through. In the third era, which was started with the 2013 game this film has based itself on, Lara has had experience on archaeological digs since she was a child, but ended after her mother disappeared during one expedition, leading her father to allegedly take his own life years after that fact. We can already see how the film will start to re-write this history, as Lord Richard Croft will disappear during an expedition of his own, which spurs Ms. Croft to undertake this film's adventure. This time out, Lara will be played by Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander, who is best known for her role as Ava in Ex Machina, and for her award-winning turn in The Danish Girl.

Lord Richard Croft

Born into nobility, Lord Richard Croft has primarily been known as an archaeologist throughout the three eras of Tomb Raider lore. That has changed, as Lord Richard now also has a thriving corporate presence in his company, Croft Holdings, thanks to the latest film. While the latest video games depict Lord Richard Croft as someone who was not around much for Lara, the version of the role played by Dominic West looks like it retcons that in favor of a warm man that Lara has many fond memories of. This character was previously played by Jon Voight in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, back when his real life daughter, Angelina Jolie, held the role of Lara.

The Croft Family History

On the outside, Lord Richard Croft and his family looked like the usual success story. Richard was born into nobility, and eventually built up a business empire with Croft Holdings. But Tomb Raider's third age plotline also tells a story about family, more specifically that of Richard and his wife Amelia, whom he'd met while studying at Oxford University. The two hit it off, and soon they were married and had their daughter Lara, completing their family of archaeologists. However, the family would be torn apart, as the game series saw Amelia die in a plane crash, which led to Richard searching for her in the mountains. There's no indication in the film's marketing materials if we'll see Amelia in the film, but Richard and Lara's relationship is still pretty strong by what we've seen so far.

Trinity

An organization known to trade in artifacts of great power, Trinity looks forward to a world where they are the true leaders and prophets of the word of God. Dating back to 978 A.D., the organization has been known to have ties to the Vatican, and they even crossed paths with the Nazis on Yamatai, the country where the Tomb Raider reboot takes place. Their aim is to resurrect the Sun Queen Himiko, who had the power to jump from body to body in order to maintain her rule over Yamatai, and their organization is similar in scope, power, and resources to that of the Illuminati.

Mattias Vogel

Trapped on an island in the Devil's Sea for seven years, Mattias Vogel seems to have been planning, and plotting, revenge against the man who he says put him there: Lord Richard Croft. So, naturally, this villain played by Walton Goggins is going to want to lash out against young Lara, when she arrives in search of Lord Richard herself. In third age game lore, the closest counterpart to this character is Father Mattias - a member of the Solarii Brotherhood who ran afoul of Trinity, as he was obsessed with unlocking the powers of a local deity. However, the film looks to have possibly made him a part of the Trinity ranks, as a way of conflating the two groups together into one unified adversary. Much like the video game incarnation, Mattias looks to be searching for an artifact of power that'll help him get home, and conquer civilization in the process.

Ana Miller

Played by Kristen Scott-Thomas, Ana Miller is a friend of Lord Richard Croft and currently works for his company, Croft Holdings. Not much else is known about her character at this point, but looking back at the games, we may have an idea where she's heading. Ms. Miller may be a reinterpretation of Ana, a former associate / lover of Lord Richard Croft in the third age Tomb Raider reboot game. Should this be the case, Ana Miller might be a surprise villain in either this film, or a future sequel, as she is a member of Trinity in the 2013 game. Not only that, she's the assassin tasked with killing Lord Richard, but given the re-write Mattias seems to have been given, he might have gained the more negative aspects of this character, leaving Scott-Thomas's Ana to be a positive role model / supporter for Lara.

Lu Ren

Throughout the Tomb Raider franchise, Lara Croft has had various friends and allies that have helped her make her way through whatever adventures cropped up throughout her life. In the case of the 2018 reboot film though, it looks like a totally new character has been invented to assist her. Lu Ren, the captain of the boat that takes Lara to the Devil's Sea, is her sidekick this time out, and he's played by Daniel Wu. Wu is best known from AMC's Into The Badlands, but has also recently been spotted in Warcraft and Geostorm, so it looks like Lu will be more than able to keep up with Lara's chaotic and adventurous lifestyle.

After making her video game debut in 1996's Tomb Raider, Lara Croft has gone on to become one of the most iconic characters in the history of gaming. The character's tenure has seen her appear in many video games and two films over the years, and now she is returning to the big screen with March's Tomb Raider. Alicia Vikander's portrayal of Lara Croft in the upcoming film will be the fourth different version of the character overall between the games and the films, but for Alicia Vikander, this just adds to the evolution of the Lara Croft and the richness of her history, as she explained:

The fact that Lara Croft has endured as long as she has is a testament to the appeal and interest the public has in a strong female character. But part of what has made Lara Croft a pop culture mainstay has been her reinvention. As Alicia Vikander told Game Informer, there is room for the character to grow and evolve beyond the original 1996 iteration. Different versions of a character are sometimes necessary. As society evolves and tastes change, what we want from our stories and characters changes with it. There's a reason the character has been rebooted in the video games to great success. The Lara Croft Alicia Vikander looks to be bringing to the screen is a complex and capable woman; a true badass that reflects society's more nuanced views of women and expectations for female characters. She is a role model not because of her looks, but because of her strength, both inside and out.

There is nothing wrong with new versions of fictional characters, and such evolutions are to be expected in order to keep the character fresh for new audiences and tell different stories. We saw a goofier, more fantastical James Bond before the current crop of Daniel Craig-led films, and the Batman suit no longer has nipples. Changing with the times is necessary and often for the better. Lara Croft in the original video game was the rare female hero in a male-dominated medium. But, as a product of the time, she was hyper-sexualized and featured proportions human biology does not allow for. Angelina Jolie brought the character to life on the big screen, but those films featured a fully-formed, confident Lara, whereas the new film will be introducing the character at the beginning of her journey.

When Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider video game franchise was rebooted in 2013, the focus was more on Lara Croft's survival skills than her looks, and it is clear that the upcoming film is very much inspired from that game. Each of these versions told us something new about the character while still remaining true to her nature as a badass, female Indiana Jones. Now, Alicia Vikander will be introducing fans to another new version of the character that could be the most compelling one yet.

A new version of Lara Croft, and hopefully the first truly great video game movie, arrive when Tomb Raider hits theaters on March 16. Blockbuster season is year round now and March is sneakily jam-packed. Check out our guide to see the biggest films joining Tomb Raider in theaters next month.

While blockbuster movies are everywhere, there's one subgenre that has always struggled towards success: video game movies. From Super Mario Bros. to Assassin's Creed, bringing gaming characters onto the silver screen has proven extremely difficult. But audiences have certainly responded to the Tomb Raider property and protagonist Lara Croft. Angela Jolie played the role for two films in the early 2000s, which were modest financial successes. Now we're getting a brand new Tomb Raider movie, starring Alicia Vikander. The actress has been open about how much physical conditioning went into the role, although it appears that it was a double edged sword. According to Vikander, the muscle mass went away in just a matter of weeks. She said,

After getting into Lara Croft shape, Alicia Vikander was hoping to enjoy her new extra jacked physique. But whatever regimen Vikander was on during filming (I'm going with "Croft-Fit") ended after it wrapped, and the actress ended up rapidly losing her muscle mass. So while we'll be seeing her kick major ass throughout the course of the film, it appears that she's returned to her Croft-less body. At least until a sequel is made.

Alicia Vikander's comments from her recent appearance on The Graham Norton Show make a great deal of sense, given how much goes into physically preparing for an action heavy role like Lara Croft. Vikander was likely on a strict diet, taking plenty of supplements, and working out non-stop. After wrapping production, she obviously deserved to return to normal. It's just that she didn't expect it to happen so damn quickly.

All eyes are on what the Academy Award winning actress will do when Tomb Raider finally arrives in theaters. While once again following the adventures of Lara Croft, the new film feels almost nothing like its predecessor. This is based off the recent video game reboot, which was grittier and combined survival skills and heavy combat with the puzzle solving the franchise is known for.

Indeed, there are almost shot for shot moments from the 2013 Tomb Raider video game present in the trailer for the accompanying movie. It seems the source material is going to be honored, putting Alicia Vikander's Lara in some truly insane scenarios. Check out the below side by side, courtesy of IGN.

I've got goosebumps. Lara Croft has been gone from the silver screen too long, and Alicia Vikander is the perfect actress to bring her back. It's just a shame that she couldn't magically keep all the benefits of inhabiting the character.

Tomb Raider will arrive in theaters on March 16, 2018. In the meantime, check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Do you even lift? Well, Alicia Vikander does. In preparation for her role as the tough-as-nails video game heroine Lara Croft, the Oscar-winning actress went through a serious physical transformation to look the part. For months prior to filming Tomb Raider, Alicia Vikander went through an intense diet and training regimen under the guidance of celebrity trainer Magnus Lygdback. When it was all said and done, Alicia Vikander had put on a whopping 12 pounds of muscle.

While 12 pounds might not seem like a lot on its own, it is. Adding muscle is no easy feat, and adding 12 pounds in even a full year would be considered a great result for most people training. Alicia Vikander was already a trained ballet dancer before taking the role, and she was obviously relatively fit. According to ET, Alicia Vikander had a slim, 5-foot-5, 117-pound frame. Adding 12 pounds of muscle, an additional 10% of her body weight in muscle to someone who is naturally small, is a huge transformation and especially impressive to achieve in just a few months time. In fact, the actress even found the weight gain jarring at first.

While you might suspect that this transformation means she basically lived in the gym, it's actually the opposite, as she had a diverse training regimen and basically worked smarter thanks to Magnus Lygdback's programming. According to USA Today, in the early days of her training, in order to bulk, Alicia Vikander ate a lot and focused on strength training with only a bit of cardio. As things progressed, she also did some mixed martial arts training and pad work, learning how to punch, kick and grapple effectively. This had the dual benefit of helping her physical transformation, while also preparing her for her fight scenes to look the part. Oh and Alicia Vikander also did rock climbing and swimming as well. She truly became the Renaissance woman and all around badass Lara Croft is known to be.

But physical fitness isn't just lifting stuff, and for most people, the diet is the toughest part; abs are revealed in the kitchen after all. Alicia Vikander was eating five times a day with most major meals focused on lean proteins, vegetables and complex carbs. She also had protein-rich snacks throughout the day to provide those crucial building blocks for muscular gain. The diet apparently worked too, because Alicia Vikander had an eight-pack when it was all said and done. While you might not get to see it in the movie, that core strength helped her with all the physicality of the role.

We often hear about incredible and dramatic physical transformation actors go through to inhabit a role, whether it be Christian Bale rocking his skeleton on the outside for The Machinist or Hugh Jackman eating enough boiled chicken for ten lifetimes. These transformations help an actor inhabit a character and look believable on screen. It's cool to hear the transformation Alicia Vikander made for Tomb Raider, and it is just one more reason to be excited about the potential of this video game adaptation. Tomb Raider muscles into theaters on March 16. For all the latest movie news and why you should really wake up and go to the gym tomorrow, stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

Video game movies are notoriously bad, but the genre will once again get another shot at glory when Alicia Vikander steps in as Lara Croft in Roar Uthaug's Tomb Raider. It has been 15 years since we last saw a live-action Lara on the big screen (in the form of Angelina Jolie), and while the video game genre hasn't really thrived in that time, there's one specific reason why we're excited for what Tomb Raider has to offer: it looks like it's more or less directly adapting the video games.

The resemblance is already uncanny. In the two Tomb Raider trailers that have already been released, we have seen the DNA of the recent Tomb Raider games (notably 2013's Tomb Raider reboot) spliced into the live-action take on this world. From the creation of an inexperienced Lara Croft to an island setting in which our shipwrecked heroine must fight for survival against a group of mercenaries, it's clear that Roar Uthaug has aggressively looked to the source material for plot points and action sequences.

These similarities have not gone unnoticed by the internet, as side-by-side comparisons have started to hit the web in the wake of the trailers. Check out an example of such a video, below.

Here's the thing? Why should we consider that a bad thing? Yes, our own Matt Wood has issues with this very angle. Fans of the Tomb Raider games love those games for specific reasons, and the movie looks like it's trying to cut to the core of those ideas. Instead of trying to reinvent Lara Croft in his first at-bat, Roar Uthaug is trying to capture what made 2013's Tomb Raider work and present a movie version of that story to a broader audience. In the long run, I think it's a smart play. After all, Andy Muschietti didn't change or remove Georgie's death scene from IT because audiences were familiar with that sewer sequence; instead, the film embraced the foundation that had been laid by its source material and adapted it in a visually compelling way that worked for a new medium.

Just look at more recent video game movies, and you will understand why this is a smart idea. Assassin's Creed completely changed the mythology of the games and turned the bed-like Animus into a giant crane that threw its occupant around a room. On the other hand, Hitman: Agent 47 upended the stealth-heavy elements of the Hitman series and turned its titular protagonist into a running and gunning killing machine.

Both of these video game adaptations failed to generate excitement among critics and audiences, and much of that blame can be placed on the fact that they didn't do their own games justice. By contrast, Tomb Raider is trusting that the game it's adapting is good, and showing what that story can look like when control is taken out of the audience's hands and filtered through a live-action lens. It's a classic adaptation, and it seems to respect its source arguably more than any other video game movie that has preceded it. If Tomb Raider is lucky enough to receive a sequel, then the director of that sequel can gladly deconstruct Lara Croft and try something new; for now, the proper course of action should rely on focusing what fans like about her story, and executing those strengths.

Of course, beyond all of that, it's worth pointing out that the Tomb Raider movie is still not presenting us with a 1:1 adaptation of the game that inspired it. Yes, set pieces like the waterfall plane and the parachute through the jungle have clearly been adapted, but the movie is also blending those action sequences with elements from the 2015 sequel (particularly the presence of Trinity), altering Lara's origins in the years leading up to her journey to the island, and adding new characters. Saying that Tomb Raider is cribbing too much from the games doesn't give enough credit to the elements of the movie that have been changed in this story's transition to the big screen.

Whether Tomb Raider's similarities to the video game source material will turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing remains anyone's guess, but this writer personally believes that the fidelity will pay off in the end. We will find out for sure when Lara Croft raids her way onto the big screen on March 16.

Video games have always had it bad when it comes to live-action feature film adaptations. For whatever reason, few, if any, have ever really cracked the formula to become an unquestionable success critically and commercial. Assassin's Creed was one of last year's most high-profile examples, and even with star power in the form of Michael Fassbender, it still landed with a thud. This year the big release is the Tomb Raider reboot starring Alicia Vikander, which holds a lot of promise. However, recent trailers have only illuminated a concern that this writer has about the movie: that it's sticking far too close to the video game on which it's based.

This Tomb Raider movie reboot is primarily based on a different Tomb Raider reboot. In 2013, Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix launched a reboot of the Tomb Raider video game series. Tomb Raider followed a younger Lara Croft still finding her way in the world and not quite raiding tombs just yet. The story found Lara trapped on a mystical island and forced to survive against an army of cultists with nothing but her will, her wit, and a whole lot of explosions. It's a pretty sweet game, and a logical choice to base a new film franchise off of, but from the looks of the trailers, director Roar Uthaug and his team copied and pasted the game into Adobe Premiere.

It's important to remember that trailers are often not reflective of the movie as a whole. They are simply a marketing tool to get butts in seats, and the marketing of Tomb Raider seems to be selling two things: Lara Croft as a kick-ass action hero (which it absolutely should do) and that if you like the game, you'll like the movie. But haven't enough video game movies taught us that the latter isn't necessarily true? Sticking too close to the source material starts to be more of a crutch than an advantage at some point.

Those familiar with the game should immediately recognize several elements playing out in the movie. Lara Croft's outfit, her weapons, and whole action set pieces are lifted straight from the game. Lara making her way across a perilously perched rusted airplane; leaping from a sinking ship into a raging ocean; parachuting uncontrollably through a forest; and a fall into some fast-paced rapids are all set pieces from the game that can be found in the movie trailers.

Following the basic plot of the game and taking aesthetic inspirations is one thing. There's no rule in filmmaking that says you can't use the pieces of something else to help assemble your own film. Otherwise, Quentin Tarantino wouldn't be a thing. But the trailers are making it look like chunks of the game were replicated frame by frame for the movie. It's reaching a point where if the movie is just going to be the game, then why shouldn't people just play the game instead of seeing the movie? If the movie is just offering players most of what they've already seen, then there hardly seems to be a point in making a movie at all. True, Tomb Raider is going to attract a lot of viewers who haven't played the game and don't notice the similarities, but maybe there's something to be said about flexible creativity and films needing to do more than just mimic the source.

There's also an argument to be made that what works for a video game may not work in a film. That's probably one of the chief reasons that most video game movies just don't work. Tomb Raider is a very cinematic game, but it's still a video game where the player controls Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander) and decides everything that happens to her. Player immersion is a huge factor in what makes video games successful. There's a certain thrill to successfully navigating her through an enemy stronghold without raising the alarms. As exciting as it may be to watch that same scene unfold in a movie, it's not going to have the exact same feeling as it did in the game. That's just the effect of it being two different mediums.

In the Tomb Raider movies defense, it has taken certain liberties with the game. Daniel Wu's character is an entirely new addition to the movie, and several supporting characters from the game don't seem to be appearing in the same form. There's also been some added content between Lara and her father, the latter of whom is now a bit more important to the plot. In the film, he's connected to Walton Goggins' bad guy, Matthias (who is also re-jiggered from his game counterpart), and Lara's father directly tasks her with stopping Matthias and his group, Trinity. Trinity, by the way, did not really show up until the video game's sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider, but they've been upgraded for the movie.

It's entirely possible that I'm wrong and Tomb Raider isn't just the video game with new paint on it. I'd be really happy if that were the case because I want this to be good. I can't really blame the movie for wanting to be the game because the game is really good! If it ain't broke don't fix it, but a movie needs to do more to justify itself. I can play Tomb Raider anytime I want. Why should I go see the movie when all it seems to be doing is giving me what I've already got?

The cinematic history of video game movies is, shall we say, wanting. For some reason, after decades of attempts, there is yet to be a critically and commercially successful video game adaptation. However, I would argue that among all the misses, disappointments and horror shows, 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider stands as one of the better efforts (well, that and Mortal Kombat of course). The Angelina Jolie-starring film did well enough to get a sequel, and now a decade and a half later, the character is getting a big screen reboot in March's Tomb Raider. This time, Oscar winner Alicia Vikander is playing the iconic video game heroine. Vikander recently spoke about how her Lara Croft will be different than the one that came before, saying:

Despite the mixed feelings about the previous Lara Croft films, Angelina Jolie is Lara Croft to the wider public. So this new film will have to do something to differentiate itself and the portrayal of Lara Croft. This shouldn't be difficult. As a reboot, Tomb Raider will be looking to capitalize on the fanbase and love for the character while also telling a new story and improving on what came before. Interestingly, the reboot of Tomb Raider on the big screen follows a reboot for the character's video game adventures. In 2013, a new video game was released called simply Tomb Raider, which relaunched the franchise and told a fresh origin story. That is the same thing that will be happening here, and it is clear that this new movie takes a lot of inspiration from the game.

As Alicia Vikander told Total Film Magazine, this movie will be an origin story featuring a younger Lara Croft, so this film has the opportunity to show a very different character than the one inhabited by Angelina Jolie. Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft was already fully formed as a worldly and confident individual when we met her. She was self-assured and an experienced adventurer. By taking Lara back to the beginning, Alicia Vikander can show a Lara that, though smart and independent, is lacking in direction or purpose. You don't become the woman Angelina Jolie portrayed without many life experiences to get you to that point. This reboot will allow Alicia Vikander to show how this character matures, grows and learns as she inches her way towards becoming that iconic, female Indiana Jones-type figure.

Tomb Raider is directed by Roar Uthaug and is one of the most anticipated films of the year. The reboot looks like it will be sending Lara Croft on a brutal survival adventure that should grow her legend. With any luck, maybe finally this might be the video game movie to really break through. We don't have long to wait to find out, as Tomb Raider breaks its way into theaters on March 16. For all the biggest movies hitting this year, check out our premiere guide.

Video games are a funny thing. While gaming is a giant business that contains its own set of unique and interesting stories, adapting them for the big screen isn't the easiest task. Plenty of movies based off of games struggle and end up being critically panned, like Super Mario Bros. or most recently Assassin's Creed. The latest video game that will soon get a big screen adaptation is Tomb Raider, starring Academy Award Winner Alicia Vikander. The first trailer for the highly anticipated blockbuster just hit the web, and it looks a whole lot like the trailer for the 2013 video game of the same name. A new video just surfaced that does a side by side comparison, and it's pretty uncanny. Check it out.

I think its safe to say that both Tomb Raider's director and the team putting together the trailers are big fans of the last two Tomb Raider video games. And if IGN's above video is any indication, then we should be seeing the narrative of the second to last game played out almost identically on the silver screen when Tomb Raider arrives in theaters.

The 2013 Tomb Raider game served as a reboot for the beloved franchise, while also illuminating Lara Croft's origin story for the first time. In it, Lara ends up on her very first expedition in order to uncover and protect her late father's research. But when her ship capsizes, Lara is left isolated on an island east of Japan. She must scavenge and survive her harsh environment, while also battling the evil forces of Trinity and uncovering the mysteries around her environment.

It looks like the new Tomb Raider will closely follow that plot, and the recently revealed footage looks like it could be straight out of the games. Alicia Vikander is the spitting image of Lara Croft from the new games, wearing the exact same outfit as her video game counterpart. Additionally, it looks like the action will be quite different from Angelina Jolie's films, and will be more focused on Lara's skill with a bow and arrow and her exploration, rather than a bevy of shootouts with double pistols.

Overall, the new Tomb Raider movie looks like a very close adaptation of its video game source material, hopefully resulting in an epic action-adventure film that can stand on its own two feet. Let's just hope that it manages to avoid the curse of video game movies.

Tomb Raider will arrive in theaters on March 16, 2018, so there's still a while to go. In the meantime, check out our 2017 release list to plan your final trips to the movies before the New Year.

Alicia Vikander really wanted the gig in the action-heavy Tomb Raider. We know this because she outright says it again and again in this brand new, behind-the-scenes video about the flick. We also know this because the new behind-the-scenes video goes out of its way to show us Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft, mucking around in the dirt and drenched to the bone. Looks like she's gonna be pretty dirty and incredibly wet. Check it out.

There's been a lot of talk about how much actors are doing stuntwork in recent months, but from this footage, Alicia Vikander seems to be doing as much as she can for Tomb Raider. If you've seen any of the early promo footage for the movie, you should know that Lara Croft is frequently looking a little bit worse for wear, but this video shows exactly what the movie put her through during the course of filming. The answer is lots and lots of jumping and bruises, plus plenty of freezing cold water being directed right at her.

At one point, Alicia Vikander even says she had to film several water-based scenes over and over again because she was too darn cold, noting,

Up until yesterday, we hadn't seen much from Tomb Raider other than a couple of cool stills of Vikander looking tough with weapons and that poster that makes her neck look a little awkward, but thankfully, Warner Bros. has also finally dropped the first trailer for the movie, which tells us a little bit about the story. Alicia Vikander will play a young woman who promises her father that she will go on a out-of-the-way journey and work to take down Trinity after he sends her a mysterious message. The trailer also highlights how brave but reckless Lara Croft is, and you can see for yourself, below.

Warner Bros. is only just now ramping up footage of Tomb Raider, likely because it will be a while before we see the movie. You can catch Alicia Vikander and co. in theaters starting on March 16, 2018. To find out what else is hitting theaters in the new year, take a look at our 2018 premiere schedule.

After starring in movies like Ex Machina, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Jason Bourne, Alicia Vikander is finally taking blockbuster center stage next year for the Tomb Raider reboot. With half a year to go until this new version of Lara Croft graces the big screen, Warner Bros is gearing up for the first trailer's launch tomorrow. To build up some hype ahead of time, the studio released the first Tomb Raider poster, and unfortunately, the thing that immediately draws the eye is how weird Vikander's neck looks.

Warner Bros was clearly aiming to make Alicia Vikander look badass in this Tomb Raider poster, and the ice-climbing axe in her hand and the piercing glare certainly help with that (although maybe it's time we retire having these blockbuster protagonists looking backwards with their necks twisted on their posters). However, as many have noted on social media, the actress' neck appears to be elongated to an unnatural length, which we can attribute to bad Photoshop work. No amount of working out could cause anyone's neck to stretch that much. Once you notice the neck issue on the poster, it's impossible not to keep thinking about how anatomically wrong it is. Still, this isn't the first Photoshop movie poster mishap from 2017. For instance, remember that jumbled mess Spider-Man: Homecoming delivered?

Fortunately for Tomb Raider fans, Alicia Vikander's neck will be at normal proportions in the upcoming movie. In addition to the poster, Warner Bros also dropped a teaser for the trailer. You can get a quick glimpse of how Lara Croft will be fighting for survival below.

Inspired by the 2013 Tomb Raider video game that relaunched Lara Croft for gamers and its 2015 sequel, the new Tomb Raider movie will follow a younger and more inexperienced Lara as she searches for her father on the island where he supposedly disappeared. Of course, if previous Lara Croft stories are any indication, we can presumably expect this origin story reboot to have an archaeological twist and show the protagonist coming across rare and ancient artifacts. In addition to Alicia Vikander, the movie's cast includes Walton Goggins as Father Mathias Vogel (the main antagonist), Daniel Wu as Lu Ren, Hannah John-Kamen as Sophie, Antonio Aakeel as Nitin and Dominic West as Lord Richard Croft. The Wave's Roar Uthaug directed the adaptation, and Geneva Robertson-Dworet penned the script.

Tomb Raider opens in theaters on March 16, 2018. Don't forget to also look through our movie premiere guide to find out when 2017's remaining movies will be released.

Around this time next week, with San Diego Comic-Con in full swing, Warner Bros. is expected to host a massive panel in Hall H where they'll show off their wares for the rest of 2017 and on into 2018. The DC slate is expected to represent, as is Steven Spielberg's Ready Player One and the Stephen King adaptation, It. Now we're learning that Roar Uthaug's adaptation of the smash-hit video game series Tomb Raider may also bring footage to the Hall, and leading lady Alicia Vikander is helping to get fans excited. In describing a dangerous stunt that they filmed for the Lara Croft origin story, Vikander teases:

The Tomb Raider movie hasn't chosen to reveal a ton of information yet, so San Diego Comic-Con could really serve as the coming-out party for this new iteration of Lara Croft, the classic video game character first brought to life in the 1996 video game and, later, in a series of Angelina Jolie movies. As Alicia Vikander tells EW ahead of SDCC, her Lara is new to the world of adventurous expeditions, and will be a virgin explorer encountering one of her first missions. Vikander elaborates:

That confirms that the 2018 Tomb Raider movie is an origin story -- a Batman Begins for Lara Croft, so to speak. The official plot synopsis says that the death of Lara's father sends her on a quest to unlock a mystery surrounding the loss... a quest that takes her to a dangerous island off the coast of Japan. But we're unclear who the villain in the movie may be, even as the movie seems to take its cues from the 2013 prequel game, and the 2015 game that was released in honor of the franchise's 20th anniversary.

Stay tuned for next week's Warner Bros. San Diego Comic-Con panel, where we expect the studio to drop its first footage from the 2018 Tomb Raider movie, which we hope will be online shortly after.

Much like how the Tomb Raider video game series experienced a rebirth back in 2013, the movie series centered around Lara Croft is getting its own reboot soon. Alicia Vikander has inherited the role once held by Angelina Jolie, and after a few months of principal photography and some set photos being leaked online, the new Tomb Raider movie has finally released the first official photos of the Ex Machina star as the adventurous archaeologist.

Compared to a lot of video games characters, Lara Croft doesn't have a complicated wardrobe, so it's easy enough to transform Alicia Vikander into a Lara Croft who jumped straight from a Tomb Raider video game to the big screen. Her hair is done back, she's wearing the tank top and cargo pants, one of her arms is bandaged and she's extremely fit. In other words, she looks just like we'd want Lara Croft to look! As for what's going on in this picture, Vikander's Lara appears like she's getting ready to defend herself against an unseen foe using a piece of driftwood, an improvised weapon of which there is often plenty in supply on a beach.

In this second official Tomb Raider photo, Lara looks even more like her video game counterpart, as she's now armed with the bow and arrows, and is wielding that blade in her left hand. Overall, Alicia Vikander is presented as a near-perfect doppelgänger of the Lara Croft who is currently gracing the video games, so props to the crew of the upcoming movie for the good work on her costuming, makeup, etc.

Although Tomb Raider video games have been coming out since 1996, the new movie will be primarily be based on the 2013 video game relaunch, which, like the new movie, was simply titled Tomb Raider, like the 1996 that started it all. No specific plot details have been revealed yet, but according to director Roar Uthaug in an interview with GQ, this will be an origin story showing Lara at a time when she still "hasn't yet found her way and her place in the world." Along with Alicia Vikander as the main protagonist, Tomb Raider's cast includes Walter Goggins as Father Mathias Vogel, the movie's main villain; Dominic West as Lord Richard Croft, Lara's dead father; and Daniel Wu as Lu Ren, a ship captain who will assist Lara on her journey.

Tomb Raider hits theaters on March 16, 2018. Let us know what you think of Alicia Vikander's Lara Croft look in the comments below, and make sure to check out our movie schedule to find out what major blockbusters are coming in 2017.

Video games are not a new art form, and yet Hollywood still hasn't figured out how to correctly crack the code to a great video game movie. The closest the film industry ever came to a proper video game adaptation was the Angelina Jolie-fronted Tomb Raider franchise from the early 2000s, and now it looks like the upcoming reboot starring Alicia Vikander may continue that long tradition. New set photos from the upcoming Tomb Raider film have just hit the web, and they paint a picture of a gritty, adrenaline-fueled adventure that should satisfy die-hard fans and mainstream audiences alike. Check them out below to see for yourself.

Those recently leaked photos already have me sold on the upcoming Tomb Raider reboot. It's difficult to pull specific plot details from an apparent action sequence, but the photos appear to shoe Alicia Vikander as Ms. Croft escaping from a group of bad guys in a tropical location. Such an idea seems to more or less line up with the plot of the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot game, which saw a young Lara learning to survive while marooned on an island against a group of criminals and mercenaries. This is where she genuinely learns to become the Tomb Raider that we all know and love.

It's not clear how much they are trying to adapt from that particular game, but it's pretty obvious that certain visual cues served as a primary source of inspiration in the development process. Just look at this comparison if you doubt that idea.

Another thing worth pointing out is the fact that Tomb Raider is already showing clear reverence for the platforming gameplay from the series. These photos don't show us what Alicia Vikander is running from, but the amount of running, climbing, and ziplining appears ripped straight from the levels of the beloved series. Video game movies have historically had a tough time figuring out how to translate games to the silver screen, but Tomb Raider already looks poised to deliver something that's nuanced yet faithful to the source material.

It would do a disservice to Alicia Vikander to not mention how good she looks taking on the challenging role of Lara Croft. Despite the fact that many fans initially championed Star Wars heroine Daisy Ridley for the highly coveted role, Vikander seriously looks the part. She brings a certain youthful and inexperienced look to the character that Angelina Jolie didn't have (it's a look the games didn't adopt until the 2013 reboot), and yet she still manages to look highly capable and believable in these incredibly physical sequences. It's a balancing act of athleticism and scrappiness, and she's already pulling it off with ease.

The upcoming Tomb Raider reboot is currently slated to hit theaters on March 16, 2018. Stay tuned for more details!

Sony may be full steam ahead in bringing the adventure video game series Uncharted to the big screen, but Warner Bros. has been silently chipping away at making its own video game adaptation about an adventurous archeologist. The Tomb Raider reboot has its hero in the form of Alicia Vikander, and now they have just found the actor who will play a key figure in the upcoming adaptation. Actor Dominic West has been cast in the role of Lara Croft's father.

The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Dominic West has been cast as Lord Richard Croft, the father of classic video game heroine, Lara Croft. Richard Croft is a key figure in the Tomb Raider mythos and he was previously played by Jon Voight in the Angelina Jolie-led Tomb Raider movies. In the reboot, Lara sets out on her first expedition in order to finish her father's research and clear his disgraced name.

The movie takes some of its inspiration from the recent Tomb Raider video games from Square Enix, wherein Richard Croft believed in the supernatural and died in disgrace. Lara, who didn't believe her father, sets out to find a mythical island from his research and finds more than she bargained for when she and her crew are left stranded. Vengeful ghosts, a supernatural storm, and murderous cultists soon prove that her father wasn't so crazy after all. In the games, Richard was present mostly through flashbacks and voiceovers, but the film version will be a bit more ambiguous and center around Lara exploring if he is actually alive.

Dominic West has a number of roles under his belt and is perhaps best known for his parts as Theron in 300 and Detective James McNulty in The Wire. He currently stars in HBO's The Affair, which is airing its third season. Coincidentally, this will not be the first time West has played Vikander's father; he held the same role in the film Testament of Youth.

Dominic West joins a so far small cast that includes Vikander, Walton Goggins (Vice Principals) and Daniel Wu (Into the Badlands). Goggins plays the antagonist of the film, while Wu plays Lu Ren, a ship captain who partners up with Lara. The reboot is directed by Roar Uthaug (The Wave) with a script penned by Geneva Robertson-Dworet.

This new Tomb Raider movie is shaping up quite nicely in the cast department, and if it's anything like the recent video games, audiences could be in for a real treat with this one. The film is currently scheduled to release on March 16, 2018. Make sure to keep it here at CinemaBlend and we'll be sure to keep you updated on all things Tomb Raider when that information becomes available.

Ever since his breakout role of Shane Vendrell on the hit FX series, The Shield, Walton Goggins has played a good villain. It's a skill that's served him well, especially with his part in series like Justified and, most recently, Vice Principals, and it's something he'll get to do opposite Alicia Vikander's Lara Croft in the upcoming reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise. Not only does this prove to be an exciting prospect for those who have been fans of Goggins since his cable baddie days, it's also something that the man himself is extremely enthusiastic about, in part because of the psychological complexities of the role.

Collider recently sat down with Goggins, in order to discuss his role on the upcoming History Channel scripted series, Six. However, with his casting in the Tomb Raider reboot still on everyone's minds, the subject of just what makes this villain appealing to the actor's already honed sensibilities of villainy was something that was bound to come up. In the opinion of Walton Goggins, the reasons this antagonist is interesting to him are as follows:

Whomever this person Walton Goggins is playing is, they are lacking a name at this moment. And yet, the fact that Goggins will be antagonizing Alicia Vikander's incarnation of the legendary relic hunter is enough to have us waiting with baited breath to find out anything new that may come from the Tomb Raider set. For instance, we wonder if this new villain will be another Southern drawling charmer, much like some of Goggins' previous characters, or will he have a more toned down presence to match the psychological profile of this character? Our money is on the former, as it's done him so well in recent years, particularly thanks to his standout role in Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight, as you'll see below.

There's still plenty of time to find out whatTomb Raider has up its sleeves in terms of its story and characters, but just knowing that Walton Goggins has enough material to invest himself into the film fully makes us happy to see this film in our future. Tomb Raider uncovers the origins of Lara Croft on March 16, 2018. Meanwhile, you can see Walton Goggins next on the History Channel series, Six, which premieres on January 18th, 2017.

The following story contains spoilers for Paul Greengrass's Jason Bourne. Stop reading now if you've yet to see the summer blockbuster.

This past summer, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) came out of semi-retirement to tackle a nagging memory about his father, and the Treadstone program that helped turn him into a lethal agent of the United States government. Hard truths were learned, as Bourne learned to work with, and then against, a double-crossing CIA operative named Heather Lee (played by Alicia Vikander). Their collective paths eventually cross near the finale with Aaron Kalloor (Rogue One's Riz Ahmed), a tech genius being funded by our government to create Deep Dream, a social media program that can further our government's efforts to spy on every living human being.

As Jason Bourne drew to a close, Bourne (Damon), Lee (Vikander) and Kalloor (Ahmed) had open-ended resolutions that easily could be picked up in the next Bourne movie... if there is another Bourne movie. And when I spoke with producer Frank Marshall about Jason Bourne and the future of the franchise, he told me all of this is intentional:

That's what struck me about Jason Bourne. Yes, Matt Damon is going to come back. But thanks to movies like Ex Machina, The Danish Girl and the upcoming Tomb Raider relaunch, she has become a household name who you'd be happy to build a franchise around. The same is about to be said for Riz Ahmed, who has built up his audience with HBO's The Night Of, and has the potential to explode with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Frank Marshall admits that they got these actors at the front of the curve, but he then knows that he has the capability to capitalize on their popularity if and when they develop the next Bourne story.

As for the state of that sequel, and the secret to its possible success, Frank Marshall tells me:

You can relive the fruit of that labor with Jason Bourne, which hits DVD and Blu-ray on Tuesday, Dec. 6. Order it here.

After starting out as a video game series, Tomb Raider made the jump to movies last decade with Angelina Jolie playing its lead heroine, Lara Croft. Her big screen adventures ended after two movies, but 13 years later, now Lara Croft is preparing to head back to theaters. After several actresses being rumored for the role, the reboot has finally found its new iteration of the action hero in Alicia Vikander.

The casting was announced by The Hollywood Reporter, saying that Vikander will lead MGM’s Tomb Raider reboot, which will follow a "young and untested Lara Croft" as she goes on her first adventure. The new movie is being directed by The Wave’s Roar Uthaug, and Graham King will produce. Although Vikander has made a name for herself in recent years with movies like Ex Machina and The Danish Girl, this is her first foray into the world of franchises.

Although Vikander has appeared in a number of well-known movies, like The Fifth Estate and Seventh Son, 2015 was the year when her fame propelled. She first appeared as the android Ava in Ex Machina, appearing alongside Star Wars: The Force Awakens stars Domhnall Gleeson and Oscar Isaac. That summer, she played Gaby Teller in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and she capped off the year as Gerda Wegener in The Danish Girl, and that performance, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She’s obviously proven she has tremendous acting chops, so making the jump to the new Tomb Raider movie is an excellent way for her get her action hero on. It was reported at one point that Daisy Ridley might play Lara Croft, but she has enough on her plate with the new Star Wars movies and other projects.

Taking inspiration from the 2013 Tomb Raider video game, the movie reboot will follow a young Lara Croft as she’s just starting her adventures as a badass archaeologist looking for priceless artifacts and relics around the world. Roar Uthaug has also said he wants this version of Lara Croft to feel to feel like a "real human being," so we should expect to get to know Alicia Vikander’s version on a deeper level while she's trying to survive these crazy situations. She’s not at the same experience level as Angelina Jolie’s was, so while we will see her fighting her way through various challenges, it’s not going to be with the same ease. It would also be cool to get some insight into her personal life when she’s not out in the field.

The Tomb Raider reboot is rumored to hit theaters on October 6, 2017, but we’ll keep you updated on a more official time frame. As for Vikander, her upcoming releases later this year include Tulip Fever and Jason Bourne.

Those of you watching the 88th Academy Awards just saw Alicia Vikander pick up the first acting Oscar of the night for her performance in The Danish Girl. Having appeared in four films throughout the course of 2015, each of which increasingly elevated the Swedish actress’ reputation in Hollywood, it’s rather fitting that her year has been capped with this accolade.

However some moviegoers have been insistent that Alicia Vikander deserved her nomination and now award for her performance in Ex Machina and not The Danish Girl. In my humble opinion, they’re wrong. In fact, with her performance in The Danish Girl, Alicia Vikander gave a performance of such depth, complexity, and magnetism that it even evoked memories of Meryl Streep.

While Eddie Redmayne drew most of the plaudits for his second towering performance in as many years , following his own Oscar-winning stint in The Theory Of Everything, it was Alicia Vikander who truly carried the emotional heft of The Danish Girl.

In The Danish Girl, Alicia Vikander could have just repeatedly broken down in waves of tears and made it uncomfortable, maybe even unbearable, to watch. But instead she portrayed the weight of the film in such a patient, subtle, and increasingly engrossing fashion that it not only made you immediately resonate to what her character of Gerda Wegener was going through, but it also made viewers understand and relate even further with Eddie Redmayne’s Lili Elbe too.

Alicia Vikander even eclipses her more renowned co-star in The Danish Girl. That’s not to dismiss Eddie Redmayne’s portrayal in the biopic, though, which I believe actually excels his own turn as Stephen Hawking last year that led to him receiving so many awards. But Alicia Vikander is just so utterly heart breaking and intimate in the film that you simply can’t take your eyes off her.

Credit: ABC/Image Group LA

Alicia Vikander has continually impressed over the course of the last 12 months whenever she has popped up on screen. Even in Burnt and The Man From U.N.C.L.E., both of which were mostly dismissed by critics and audiences alike. But it was her turn as Ava in Ex Machina at the start of 2015, where she coyly coiled the audience around her finger before toying with them and making them feel perennially unsettled that teased she would soon be a formidable Hollywood presence. As great as her performance was in that bit of sci-fi awesomeness, however, it was really her turn in The Danish Girl that we walk away from 2015 talking about.

With a co-leading turn in Jason Bourne on the horizon, Alicia Vikander ‘s status is now only likely to increase tenfold. But, even as her career reaches new peaks, it will take something special to top her portrayal in The Danish Girl. The exciting thing is though, at 27-years-old she’s probably only just beginning.

After months and months of build-up, the biggest night in Hollywood has arrived. Tonight, hundreds of the movie industry’s most talented filmmakers and performers will gather in Los Angeles, California to deliver awards to what history will see as some of the greatest films of all time. This year’s crop of nominees features titles from a wide variety of genres, and stylistic directors – really demonstrating the incredible breadth of the art form. But which titles will be taking home Oscars at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony? That’s the question we’re here to answer.

As the night unfolds and prizes are handed out this evening, we will be regularly updating this page, highlighting the Oscar winners in all 24 categories. What will the big upsets be? Will your favorite movie of the last year take home the award for Best Picture? Follow along with us and find out!

Best Picture

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight

Best Director

Adam McKay, The Big Short

George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road

Alejandro G. Inarritu, The Revenant

Lenny Abrahamson, Room

Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

Best Actor

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

Matt Damon, The Martian

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Best Actress

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale, The Big Short

Tom Hardy, The Revenant

Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight

Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight

Rooney Mara, Carol

Rachel McAdams, Spotlight

Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Best Animated Feature Film

Anomalisa

Boy and the World

Inside Out

Shaun the Sheep Movie

When Marnie Was There

Best Adapted Screenplay

The Big Short

Brooklyn

Carol

The Martian

Room

Best Original Screenplay

Bridge of Spies

Ex Machina

Inside Out

Spotlight

Straight Outta Compton

Best Cinematography

Carol

The Hateful Eight

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Sicario

Best Costume Design

Carol

Cinderella

The Danish Girl

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Best Documentary Feature

Amy

Cartel Land

The Look of Silence

What Happened, Miss Simone?

Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom

Best Documentary Short Subject

Body Team 12

Chau, Beyond the Lines

Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah

A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness

Last Day of Freedom

Best Foreign Language Film

Embrace Of The Serpent

Mustang

Son of Saul

Theeb

A War

Best Makeup And Hairstyling

Mad Max: Fury Road

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

The Revenant

Best Original Song

"Earned It," Fifty Shades of Grey

"Manta Ray," Racing Extinction

"Simple Song No. 3," Youth

"'Til It Happens to You," The Haunting Ground

"Writings on the Wall," Spectre

Best Original Score

Bridge of Spies

Carol

The Hateful Eight

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Animated Short Film

Bear Story

Prologue

Sanjay's Super Team

We Can't Live Without Cosmos

World of Tomorrow

Best Live Action Short Film

Ave Maria

Day One

Everything Will Be Okay (Alles Wird Gut)

Shok

Stutterer

Best Film Editing

The Big Short

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Revenant

Spotlight

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Sound Editing

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Sicario

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Sound Mixing

Bridge of Spies

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Best Production Design

Bridge of Spies

The Danish Girl

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Best Visual Effects

Ex Machina

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Star Wars: The Force Awakens