A new adventure awaits everyone’s favorite female explorer.
First announced at The Game Awards 2025, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis reimagines Lara Croft’s genre-defining 1996 debut for a new generation. The upcoming title follows the legendary adventurer as she battles dinosaurs, panthers and human enemies, navigates treacherous environments and races to uncover the secrets of the lost city of Atlantis.
Stepping into the role is Alix Wilton Regan, who provides both the voice and full performance capture for Lara in the game. For the actress, inheriting one of gaming’s most iconic characters is both a dream come true and a responsibility. Nearly three decades after Lara first burst onto screens, Legacy of Atlantis aims to honor the spirit of the original adventure while expanding the character for modern audiences.
Ahead of the game’s 2027 release at Summer Game Fest 2026, Deadline spoke with Regan about landing the role after an extensive audition process, the physical demands of bringing Lara to life and why the iconic treasure hunter remains as relevant as ever.
DEADLINE: How did the role of Lara Croft come to you?
ALIX WILTON REGAN: It was a very traditional casting process. My agent sent it to me while on holiday in Italy. She called me and was like, “This is one you need to do, OK? Non-negotiable. [Laughs]. And everything was, of course, code named and secretive.
And I was like, “Wait, what is it?” and she said, “It’s Lara Croft. It’s [for] the new Tomb Raider games.” I was like, “Say less.” I did four rounds of auditions across eight months or so then I got the job.
DEADLINE: You did the performance capture too. Can you talk about the physicality that went into that?
REGAN: When I got cast as Lara, I was really dedicated to going to weight training three times a week. I was running. I love my home [London] but one of the best things about doing full performance capture in Los Angeles is you have great hiking trails. We have no hiking trails in London. And so every morning before I go to set the performance capture, I’m up at 5:00 a.m, then I do 30 minutes of emails and messages that have come through from London whilst I was asleep. Then I’m running up somewhere in Baldwin Hills or at the gym lifting weights. I have to wake my body and brain up.
But also it’s not just about waking up the body and the brain, it’s also about feeling quite strong. You need to feel your muscles so that when you have three men trying to pin you down in a scene, you can fight your way out of it.
DEADLINE: Lara Croft, undeniably, iconic. But why do you think she’s still so prevalent in pop-culture 30 years out from her creation? What does she symbolize for you and the culture at large?
REGAN: If we’re going back to ’96, Lara, I think, symbolized female strength. She was a female protagonist, which was almost unheard of, not just in the video game world, but in the cultural mainstream. Even in the ’90s, there were not that many films or TV shows led by women, but more particularly strong, independent, unapologetic and confident women. She also has a certain kind of British charm and she’s highly intelligent, very witty. I think all of that appeals to the global audience. Then she started to cross over from video games into magazine covers. Lara Croft has been on more magazine covers than any supermodel ever – that’s remarkable.
Then those movies with Angelina Jolie hit the scene, and more games came from there and so forth. Everyone was paying attention to her and then I was paying attention to her as a British woman myself. And I was like, “God, she’s cool. God, she’s strong. God, she takes no shit. Wouldn’t it be amazing to play Lara Croft?”
I have to tell you something, PlayStation Magazine compiled a list sometime in the mid-2010s, but they were like, “Who should be the next Lara Croft?” And they put me on that list. At that time, I was like, I mean, I would love to, but no one’s approached me about this. So, it’s weirdly full circle. But, she’s always been a dream. She is the most iconic video game character of all time. Nevermind the fact that she’s a woman.
DEADLINE: Were there any physical or vocal attributes that you thought about in regard to bringing her performance to life?
REGAN: Absolutely. I would say I started with the physical for Lara. I’ve talked about it a little bit, but things like upping the weight training and getting back into boxing, I was feeling very embodied within myself. I channeled groundedness and confidence. I had both feet planted on the floor and channeled the confidence that comes with knowing you’ve got dual pistol straps to your body is obviously very fun and empowering. Then I thought about that charming and dry humor of hers. It’s very British. So, I’d actually say the physicality informed the voice rather than the other way around in particular on this project because it’s full performance capture for the cinematics and a lot of the bits in between.
Also with my voice, Lara is also at a [lower register], very chest voice and not head voice, I would say.
DEADLINE: And lastly, who is the Lara Croft that people are going to be seeing in this game? What can you tease?
REGAN:Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is very much a re-imagining of Lara’s debut adventure. So for everyone who played the game in 1996, this game is absolutely true to the core of the first Tomb Raider. That being said, there are many new twists and turns and surprises that I think people are going to love indulging in. And of course, the character of Lara Croft herself is greatly expanded upon because it’s a re-imagining. It’s very much not a remake or a remaster. It’s a re-imagining.If there’s one word I could use to sum up this Lara, we are very much back and bigger, bolder than ever.
We are very much in the era of classic Lara and the word that I personally use is “unapologetic.” That’s the word. She is unapologetic and it’s really interesting to play that as a woman because there was a session two weeks ago, three weeks ago, and I just took a little micro-pause and I said, “I don’t think…” And on the call there are women creatives, there are male creatives. And I said, “I don’t think you all fully realize how unique it is to be a woman saying these lines with no apology attached either side.” No, there’s no, “Sorry, can I make a point?” There’s no, “I just wanted to say.” She just says it. She gets on and says it because she’s so self-possessed and that’s an incredibly attractive quality to have as a woman, but it’s still a really unusual quality to have, even in this day and age, even in 2026.
DEADLINE: I mean, it’s truly great to see a bit of that fierce spark in the gameplay I just did. But, also, I hate to segue like this, but her outfit and her reimagined character design of the iconic outfit. I do feel like we need to acknowledge that before I go.
REGAN: [Looks at a poster behind her], look, while we are talking about her looking good, her butt looks fucking great int this. You can quote me on that – because I have looked at it a lot. This Lara is smoking hot. I have no notes to send back to the animation team or the design team apart from: thank you for making me look so extraordinary. She has a really strong, gorgeous body. The body of a woman who is busy tomb raiding, and I think if we were all busy tomb raiding this is what we would look like. [Laughs].
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis will come to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC February 12, 2027. An original game, Tomb Raider Catalyst, set amid a mystical disaster that sends Lara to Northern India to uncover ancient secrets guarded by powerful, mysterious forces is also set to debut sometime in 2027.
