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[Interview]’Tomb Raider’ Director Roar Uthaug

Published

6 years ago

March 3, 2018

Tomb Raider is a reboot of the Tomb Raider film series, based on the 2013 video game of the same name. Played by Academy Award-winner Alicia Vikander, replacing Angelina Jolie, the new version of Lara Croft is a heroine who is much more hard candy than eye candy.

Like the 2013 game, this Tomb Raider film promises to be edgier and grittier than the previous incarnations. Tomb Raider represents a makeover for the Tomb Raider film series, and this is embodied in Vikander’s portrayal of Lara Croft, which is defined by functionality and precision.

The opportunity to re-imagine the Tomb Raider film series is what attracted Norwegian filmmaker Roar Uthaug to the project. Making his Hollywood feature directing debut with Tomb Raider, Uthaug, who is best known for his 2015 film The Wave, was most excited about the challenge of translating the Lara Croft Uthaug loved so much in the video game universe to the big screen.

DG: How would you describe your history with the Tomb Raider video game series, and why did you want to direct this reboot film?

RU: I’ve always loved the Tomb Raider games. The video game series has been around for over twenty years, and I’ve been playing the games since the first game was released. Growing up in Norway, my friends and I used to play Tomb Raider all the time. Lara Croft has always been an iconic character who has a lot of interesting dimensions to her. She revolutionized the role of the video game hero, and she’s the ultimate video game heroine. When I saw the reboot that had been done with the last game, the 2013 game, I was very excited about the direction the series was going on. When I got the call regarding the possibility of directing a new film, I was very interested.

DG: Did you have any creative input in terms of how Lara Croft would be portrayed in the film, or were you bound by what had been created for the video game?

RU: We were all in agreement in that we wanted to make a Tomb Raider film that was gritty and more grounded in reality than all of the previous versions. What I loved about the video game reboot is that it showed Lara Croft as being very human. She bleeds. She feels pain. She’s human. When she kills people in the game, it registers with her on an emotional level. These were the elements that I wanted to bring into the film.

DG: As this is an origin film, what do we learn about Lara Croft’s history, her life, in this film?

RU: When we’re introduced to her in the film, she’s living an ordinary life in East London, where she works as a bike courier. The conflict in the film comes from the mystery surrounding her father, who disappeared seven years earlier. Nobody knows what happened to him, and this is what leads her onto her adventure.

DG: What did Alicia Vikander bring to the role of Lara Croft that’s unique from other actresses who might have been chosen for this role?

RU: We’re both Scandinavian, so there was an instant bond between us, and I’ve followed her entire career, from before she found success in Hollywood. When we started thinking of actresses who could play Lara Croft, she was one of the first names that we thought of. Alicia has all of the elements needed to play Lara Croft. She has that ability to make an emotional connection with the audience and the character, and she was able to handle all of the physical scenes as well. She got into amazing shape for this film.

DG: How did you and Alicia create a 2018 version of Lara Croft?

RU: Alicia trained extremely hard for a month, and she developed, physically, into someone who looked like a female action hero. Her trainer pushed her extremely hard, and Alicia pushed herself very hard. It was mostly jumping and running. I knew Alicia could capture Lara Croft emotionally, and to witness her physical transformation was amazing.

DG: What do you think sets this film apart from the previous Tomb Raider films?

RU: Everything that happens in this film is grounded in character. This makes the film more exciting for the audience because they feel like they’re with Lara Croft, emotionally, as she goes through all of the action scenes in the film. This film is all about letting the audience connect with Lara. Then we bring in the big action scenes, which are more effective because we’ve gotten to know Lara Croft so well.

Tomb Raider arrives in theaters on March 16.

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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage

Published

3 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.

Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:

“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”

Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.

FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN IS NOW IN PRODUCTION 🩸 Welcome to Shadyside High. We're gonna have a killer time. pic.twitter.com/jDl0zRa2CH
— Netflix (@netflix) April 30, 2024

Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).

No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.

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Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix

Published

4 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.

If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.

Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.

Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.

Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.

Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.

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BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway

Published

4 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Cameron McFarland

BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.

Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.

The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).

Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”

The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.