New Tomb Raider Movie Is "Very Different" Than The Angelina Jolie Films

After the first official images from the new Tomb Raider film came online this week, more details about the upcoming video game movie have emerged.

Director Roar Uthaug started off by telling GQ that filming is now wrapping up in South Africa and will move to London next. The film, which stars Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft, premieres in March 2018.

It's no secret that video game movies have a generally poor track record when it comes to quality. Uthaug told GQ that he thinks the movie will resonate with fans of the series because it is inspired by and references "the entire Tomb Raider canon."

There have been two Tomb Raider films already, starring Angelina Jolie. The new one is different in that it's an origin story for Croft, much like the 2013 video game.

"It's a story that not only highlights her incredible physical accomplishments but delves deeper into her humanity," Uthaug explained.

"I've seen the films--they were a lot of fun and Angelina Jolie was a terrific Lara Croft. We are [making] a very different film, an origin story and I think fans will love Alicia in the role," he added.

The 2013 Tomb Raider reboot was partially the inspiration for the movie, and the film will contain "many touchstones" from the game. But Uthaug wants fans to know that the new movie is not like other video game adaptations, as it will focus more on practical effects instead of CGI (Michael Fassbender said the same thing about the Assassin's Creed movie).

"Our movie takes a more realistic, grounded approach. Lara Croft is a hero and a champion but she is not a superhero. She is very much human, and we see her deal with that humanity in many ways," he said.

You can read the full interview here at GQ, while some new images of Vikander as Croft can be seen in the Twitter embed above.

The new Tomb Raider also features Walton Goggins (Sons of Anarchy) as the villain and Daniel Wu (Warcraft) as a ship captain who serves as an ally. The Wire's Dominic West plays Croft's father.

As for the Tomb Raider game series, a sequel to 2015's Rise of the Tomb Raider has not been announced, but it is expected. The 2013 reboot has been described as part of a trilogy. A leak last year suggested the name of the third game is Shadow of the Tomb Raider.