Alicia Vikander has landed the role of Lara Croft in an upcoming Tomb Raider movie, favoured in the end over Star Wars’ Daisy Ridley whom many had tipped for the part.

The Swedish star, 27, who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in last year’s critically acclaimed The Danish Girl, is to follow in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie in what The Hollywood Reporter describes as an origin story that tracks the computer game heroine’s first adventure.

Alicia VikanderAlicia Vikander is to take the role of Lara Croft in an upcoming 'Tomb Raider' re-boot

Strangely enough, Jolie herself accepted the role shortly after she had also won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1999, for her part in Girl, Interrupted. She played the archaeologist/adventurer in 2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and 2003’s sequel Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life.

There had been rumours of a re-boot to the franchise for years, with various actresses tipped for the starring role including ‘Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke, Gemma Arterton, Cara Delevingne and, most recently, British breakout star Daisy Ridley.

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As well as her role in The Danish Girl alongside Eddie Redmayne, Vikander also won plaudits for her role in British independent movie Ex Machina last year. However, the role of Lara Croft will undoubtedly be her most high-profile yet, and is expected to be released towards the end of 2017.

The computer game, originally developed by British gaming company Core Design, dates back to 1996 and underwent a string of sequels and spin-offs before falling out of fashion in the mid noughties. However, it was being re-energised by a new game in 2013, 'Tomb Raider', that emphasised Croft’s back-story, and it looks as if the intention is to do the same with the forthcoming movie.

Vikander has a busy 2016 with three releases scheduled: the historical drama Tulip Fever, the romance movie with her ex-boyfriend Michael Fassbender called The Light Between Oceans, and the blockbuster Jason Bourne due to arrive in the summer.

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