10 Actresses Who Could Play The Young Lara Croft In Tomb Raider

With moviegoers understandably demanding more strong female characters on the big screen (hence the excitement around the upcoming Captain Marvel and Wonder Woman movies, and the never ending demand for a Black Widow spinoff), it's genuinely quite surprising that it's taken this long for the Tomb Raider franchise to be rebooted. Of course, it's actually been stuck in development hell for years now. It's believed that the premise of the reboot will be similar to the recent video games, with a young Lara Croft embarking on her first adventure and ultimately becoming the Tomb Raider fans have known and loved since she first appeared on the PlayStation in 1996. Now, with a possible shortlist of female directors wanted by Warner Bros. emerging, it seems the project is finally gaining the momentum it needs. So, with the focus on a young Lara Croft presumably in her late teens/early twenties, who should take on this iconic role? Here, you will find ten actresses all ideal for the role in very different ways. Some names will quite possibly be familiar, though there are others who you've probably never heard of, especially if you live outside of the UK. Either way, they all stand the chance of doing the Tomb Raider franchise justice... 10) Alma Jodorowsky Lara Croft has to be played by a Brit, right? Well, that certainly wasn't the case when Angelina Jolie took on the role, and you may want to brace yourself as there's another American and even a Swede featured in this list. Alma Jodorowsky is actually French, and held her own in Blue Is the Warmest Color opposite Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos. She'll also soon be seen opposite Cara Delevingne in Kids in Love, and there's a lot of buzz surrounding this model's move from fashion into the acting world. While it's hard to look at her past projects and find a definitive reason for why she would be idea for the lead role in Tomb Raider, she's proven herself a strong performer, and if the studio is going for an unknown, then Jodorowsky would be an unexpected choice who has the potential to do something great in this role. 9) Dakota Johnson Unfortunately, Dakota Johnson's involvement with the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise will no doubt lead to some scoffing at the prospect of her going on to take on a starring role in a franchise like Tomb Raider. Well, there's a reason she received such a great deal of praise from critics for her work there, and it would be unfair to overlook her here as a result. While she doesn't exactly scream Lara Croft at first glance, that could be exactly what Warner Bros. are going for with this reboot. After all, this is supposed to be the story of how Lara became the Lara we all know and love from the classic video games, and Johnson is an actress who seems particularly well suited to taking audiences on that journey with her. Her being cast would no doubt be a little divisive, but the signs point to her being capable of proving the doubters wrong. 8) Kaya Scodelario Kaya Scodelario received a great deal of praise for her role as drug addicted bad girl Effy in Channel 4's Skins, but like a handful of other actors from that series, she's since risen to prominence in Hollywood. While they haven't quite been the the box office juggernaut that The Hunger Games has, The Maze Runner movies have been a success and significantly upped Scodelario's profile as a result. For proof of that, look no further than the fact that she's already nabbed a much sought after role in the next Pirates of the Caribbean, and there's a lot the actress could bring to a project like Tomb Raider. She's already shown that she can handle action, while the complexity of her work in Skins means that Scodelario would bring some much needed depth (and perhaps even a slightly darker side) to this video game icon when she returns to the big screen. 7) Ella Purnell After delivering a superb performance as a youngster in 2010's Never Let Me Go, Ella Purnell went on to take on relatively small roles in movies like Kick-Ass 2 and Maleficent. However, her profile looks set to significantly increase over the next few years thanks to a small part in David Yates' Tarzan reboot and a leading role in Tim Burton's Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children. Depending on how young a Lara Croft Warner Bros. is going for, 18 year old Purnell could be ideal. While this could obviously change over the next few years, the actress has something of a babyface, but that could be just what's needed for Tomb Raider's portrayal of an inexperienced Lara embarking on her first adventure. Again, it really depends on what the studio wants, but Purnell is definitely an up and comer worth keeping an eye on over the next few years. 6) Emilia Clarke While Emilia Clarke continues to impress in Game of Thrones, she did anything but in Terminator Genisys earlier this year. While she was by no means a bad Sarah Connor, the actress was working with some pretty lousy material which saw the usually great Jason Clarke (no relation) suffer just as much. The tepid response to that movie has no doubt dented her big screen credibility, but Tomb Raider could be just the project Clarke needs to bounce back. Her career prospects aside though, and is she right for the role of Lara Croft? Well, if nothing else, Terminator Genisys proved that she's more than capable of taking on the role of a tough as nails female lead character, while the HBO series she's best known for has given Clarke the chance to show what a great actress she is on plenty of occasions. Honestly, this reboot would be lucky to have her. 5) Lily James Lily James landed on the radar of most people after taking on a starring role in popular ITV period drama Downton Abbey, but has since had a pretty huge 2015 after taking on the title role in Kenneth Branagh's live-action Cinderella remake for Disney. She'll soon be seen taking on a very different period role with Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, and it's clear that James is very much an up and comer who it's well worth paying attention to. A leading role in a movie like Tomb Raider feels like a natural next step for the actress, and she feels particularly well suited to the younger and inexperienced Lara Croft who is expected to be the focal point of this reboot and has become the lead in the recent video games. A huge departure from her previous roles, it would be fascinating to see what James would do with Lara and the journey she'd take her on. 4) Daisy Ridley An unknown before being cast in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Daisy Ridley looks set to be propelled into superstardom this Winter, and assuming that the critical and commercial response to the movie will be good, we should probably expect to see a lot more of the actress moving forward. Some could argue that it's too soon to be fantasy casting her in a leading role for something as prolific as Tomb Raider, but J.J. Abrams and Kathleen Kennedy must have seen something special in Ridley in order to choose her to become the face of the Star Wars franchise (after all, they'd probably prefer not have another Hayden Christensen on their hands). Ridley has the look, the accent, and a guaranteed fanbase thanks to Star Wars, so seeing her step into the climbing boots of Lara Croft would be no bad thing and could actually help this reboot find success. 3) Alicia Vikander Alicia Vikander came close to starring in a video game adaptation with the upcoming Assassin's Creed, but passed on that to star in the next Bourne movie. After impressing in Ex Machina and Testament of Youth, the Swedish actress managed to outshine both Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., and her future is looking very bright indeed. Vikander taking on the leading role in a movie like Tomb Raider really wouldn't be a huge test for her at this point, but it would help take her career to the next level. That aside, and Lara Croft is undeniably a character she's well suited to playing. We've seen her kicking ass on the big screen and delivering fascinatingly layered performances on many occasions now, so while she may not be British, there's no denying that Vikander is more than capable of doing Lara justice in a movie. 2) Sophie Cookson While Taron Egerton has understandably (and quite rightly) been hailed the breakout star of Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Secret Service, it's a shame that the talented Sophie Cookson has been somewhat overlooked. As Roxy, she made for an incredibly likeable presence, something which would be an essential trait for the new Lara Croft, especially as the Tomb Raider reboot will focus on her during such an early point in her life ahead of what the studio is no doubt hoping will be the first in a series of movies focusing on the character. Cookson doesn't have too many projects lined up - she'll next be seen opposite Adrien Brody in the historical action epic, Emperor - and a big role like this could be exactly what's needed to deservedly put the actress on the map. It's not remotely hard to see her taking this opportunity and delivering greatness. 1) Georgina Campbell Who said Lara Croft has to be white? While there are those who greatly dislike the race of their favourite characters being changed, Warner Bros. simply need to find the perfect actress to make their Tomb Raider reboot a success, and Georgina Campbell fits the bill in that respect. After delivering an incredible and moving performance in BBC domestic abuse drama Murdered By My Boyfriend, she won the Best Actress award at the BAFTA TV awards and has since landed a cherry role in Guy Ritchie's upcoming King Arthur. While we undeniably need more diversity on the big screen, Campbell's race is irrelevant; she's a great talent who would make for an awesome Lara, and that's the important thing here. She's the right age, has the right look, and is a strong enough performer to make Croft more than another generic action heroine.