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.
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.
You did the performance capture too. Can you talk about the physicality that went into that?
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 [to do] the performance capture, I’m up at 5 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.
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?
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, [specifically] 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. Never mind the fact that she’s a woman.
Were there any physical or vocal attributes that you thought about with regard to bringing her performance to life?
Also with my voice, Lara is also at a [lower register] — very chest voice and not head voice, I would say.
