Aubrey Plaza Indicates Interest In 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' Role

Actress Aubrey Plaza has no issues getting into the action genre. The 38-year-old is known for her performance in "Parks and Recreation" as well as popular dark comedy films "Black Bear" and "Ingrid Goes West."

Plaza's most recent movie interest is as the lead character in the "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" sequel. Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander both played the lead role in the three previously released films. Vikander was supposed to star in the upcoming sequel to the 2018 film; however, recent developments left the lead role open.

The "Emily the Criminal" actress recently revealed her interest in the role initially started when Edgar White, her friend, mistook the promotional poster for a separate film.

Read on to learn more.

As a result of a recent opening in GK Films' the lead role for the "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" sequel is open. Several actresses have expressed interest in the role, with Plaza recently joining the fray. The role was previously played by Jolie in the early 2000s and, more recently, by Vikander.

Plaza's interest in the movie role stemmed from her friend Wright's assumption that she was playing the part. The filmmaker reportedly saw the promotional photo from the actress's recent movie, "Emily the Criminal," and assumed that Plaza was dressed in Lara garb.

While talking to Newsweek, the "Ingrid Goes West" actress revealed that she did not see the similarities until Wright pointed them out. She said, "It was so funny when [Edgar] texted me that because I didn't realize how strikingly similar those photos are. Emily is carrying a purse strap, and Lara Croft has a gun holster; those are very different. It's very weird and totally accidental, but I'll take it."

Plaza initially brought up the story about unintentional similarities between the "Emily the Criminal" photo and Lara on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon." There, the two pictures were held to show the glaring resemblance.

More recently, Plaza revealed that despite the entire thing being coincidental, she wasn't opposed to the role if faced with the opportunity in the future. She said, "Look, I have no idea what the future holds for me, but I love it. "

She went on to talk about how much she loved action movies and didn't nitpick things like whether or not it was a large production. "I love action movies, and I don't discriminate against big movies or small movies," Plaza said. "I love all kinds of movies. I would love it if somehow that turned into a real thing, but who knows, I have no idea. That's an iconic character. She's the original bada--."

The first "Tomb Raider" film was released as early as 2001. Jolie played the lead character, Lara. The actress went on to reprise her role in the 2003 sequel, "Lara Craft: Tomb Raider—Cradle of Life."

The two movies were based on the popular video game series and raked in a combined $432 million upon their release. The franchise returned once again in 2018 with Vikander as the lead character.

The actress was meant to play the role again in the sequel; however, MGM, who owned half of the film rights, was sold to Amazon and lost the movie rights. This led to the project, initially set to be released during the pandemic, to be held off. Vikander left the franchise, and there is currently no known release date for the film.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzf1YCEkLDI

The movie that started the entire conversation, "Emily the Criminal," was released in theaters on August 12. It first premiered on January 24, 2022, at the Sundance Film Festival, where it received positive reviews for both Plaza's performance and the film's social commentary.

"Emily the Criminal" revolves around a college graduate who, due to student loans and a continuous inability to get a job, turns to a life of crime. The character was involved with credit card scams, occasionally using stolen credit cards while disguised as a dummy shopper.

Plaza played the lead role with Theo Rossi, Gina Gershon, and Megalyn Echikunwoke as part of the cast. John Patton Ford wrote and directed the movie while Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment handled production.