Alicia Vikander is Lara Croft, 'Tomb Raider' in the upcoming movie of the same name, which is rumoured to serve as the first film in a huge movie universe that could also include adaptations from video games 'Hitman', 'Just Cause', 'Thief' and 'Deus Ex'. 

Alicia Vikander in character as Lara Croft in Tomb RaiderAlicia Vikander in character as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider

Rebooting the franchise for the big screen completely, Vikander will star alongside Dominic West, Daniel Wu and Walton Goggins and tell some of the earlier story of one of the most iconic female heroes the world has ever seen.

The first image for 'Tomb Raider' shows Vikander looking ready for adventure in a dusty, sandy setting. They shot the flick in a number of gorgeous locations in South Africa including Epping and Taple Mountain in Cape Town, as well as Plettenberg Bay and Paarl in Western Cape. "It's been a wonderful experience", said producer Graham King ('The Departed'). "We hope that using these actual locations will give a grounded sense of reality."

Norwegian Director Roar Uthaug ('The Wave') says of his involvement: "Being a longtime fan of the game, it's important to me to honor the Lara Croft legacy and capture that spirit. It's great to know that there's such a passionate global fan base for Lara and her world, and our commitment to that will be evident in our movie."

Of course, this isn't the first time 'Tomb Raider' has hit the big screen. Angelina Jolie famously played Lara Croft in the 2001 film and its 2003 sequel 'The Cradle of Life', but this new adaptation is more of an origin story and brings many more layers to the character; exploring her 'humanity', her hopes and fears, rather than just her strength and nerve. Roar praised Alicia, saying that she "brings great depth to a complex role that is both physically and emotionally demanding".

Graham King had plenty of enthusiasm for both Roar and Alicia, applauding the latter for being "a gifted actress that brings so much to this role", and the former for being "extremely passionate" with "an eye for scale as well as gritty realism".

The movie follows Lara as a 21-year-old girl, who struggles to find a purpose in life years after the mysterious disappearance of her adventure-loving father and hero. She's living in London, trying to survive on the meagre pay of her job as a bike courier because she's desperately awaiting her father's return, and she doesn't want to follow in his footsteps without proof that he's never coming back. 

And so she embarks on a mission to find out what happened to him by travelling to a mythical tomb on an unchartered island somewhere near Japan where he was last known to be, even though she knows that's the last thing he wants her to do. But her courage pushes her to take on any adversary that may stand in her way, despite being wholly unprepared and inexperienced.

The splurge of new information of course serves to get us all super excited about the upcoming release. While some may believe this is a movie that didn't need bringing back to the big screen so soon - especially as far as a complete reboot is concerned - there are those who were left wanting so much more from the Angelina Jolie-led editions. Hopefully, those working on this new 'Tomb Raider' can tick all the boxes of those watching and more still.

Perhaps the biggest challenge therefore will be for screenwriter Geneva Robertson-Dworet, who's worked on the film alongside scripts for 'Gotham City Sirens' and 'Dungeons & Dragons' amongst other major future releases. Let's hope they've done a good job.

'Tomb Raider' is gearing up for a release in US movie theatres on March 16, 2018.