Alicia Vikander hopes to 'kick some ass' on Tomb Raider sequel with Misha Green

Alicia Vikander is itching to go spelunking into Lara Croft's legacy once again, telling EW that the coronavirus pandemic put a temporary halt on the Tomb Raider star's planned return to the big screen.

"I hope we go and make another movie. Because of the pandemic, we had plans of shooting this film, and now it's been one and a half years, but Misha Green is on board, and she's writing a draft right now," the 32-year-old Oscar-winning actress says of collaborating with the Lovecraft Country showrunner on the long-gestating sequel to 2018's Tomb Raider, which was itself a reboot of the Angelina Jolie–starring film franchise based on the landmark video game series of the same name. EW has confirmed through a source that Green is indeed readying a draft of the script.

Vikander adds that she feels an energized connection with Green, who joined the project after Free Fire helmer Ben Wheatley dropped out.

"It's pretty amazing — we're, like, the same age!" Vikander says. "I was like, 'Oh, I'm just now on a Zoom with an extremely talented woman that I think has done some incredible work.' It would be so amazing if we get to go and do this very big-ass film together, going to kick some ass in front of the camera and behind the camera, you know?"

Though Vikander admits that making the first Tomb Raider — which included a 110-day shoot atop a lengthy prep period filled with rigorous physical training — she feels committed to lifting up stories about women in action-oriented roles, savoring her newfound place in the genre because she "grew up looking up at that kind of adventure movie" that primarily featured a man in the lead role.

"If we get to go and do another one, I want to have as much fun as it was the last round," Vikander says.

Her first turn as Croft was in Roar Uthaug's Tomb Raider, which served as a hero origin story loosely based on the storyline lifted from the franchise's 2013 video game revival. It was a global success, raking in $274.7 million at the worldwide box office and earning solid critical reviews — a rarity for a video game adaptation. Jolie's 2001 portrayal of Croft was a critical flop, but audiences gobbled it up, with its ticket sales totaling the exact same amount — $274.7 million — as Vikander's version.

"The plan was for us to start making one this year. Of course, due to the [pandemic] situation, that's now very different," Vikander told Good Morning America of the slated Tomb Raider sequel in late 2020. "We're still in discussions about it, so I hope we can probably get to it next year."

Additional reporting by Leah Greenblatt.

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