The Wave director's Hollywood debut Tomb Raider starts filming late 2016-early 2017. 

March 16, 2018 is when the Warner Bros/MGM project will make its US premiere. Alicia Vikander will play the young Lara Croft in the video-game based reboot. Norwegian director Roar Uthaug spoke exclusively to nordicfilmandtvnews.com in Haugesund. 

How did the project land on your desk?
Roar Uthaug: Basically my agents [UTA] organised screenings of The Wave at their office in L.A. for studio executives. One of them at MGM in charge of Tomb Raider really liked it. I read the script, gave them my take for the film at three different meetings and got the job! 

What is your vision for the film?
Roar Uthaug: We’re rebooting the game and we’ll make it more realistic to the universe, more gritty.  

You must be thrilled to have another Scandi on board, Alicia Vikander… 
RU: Yes it’s a lovely gift! She is amazing. I am sure she will bring a lot of humanity and depth to the character. 

How has been your Hollywood experience so far? 
RU: It’s been great to work with people who care about making great movies. They are very supportive of the director’s vision and hungry for new talent.  

Your disaster film The Wave was obviously your winning ticket to Hollywood… 
RU: Yes but also my previous action thriller Escape that put my name on Variety’s ‘Top 10 Directors to Watch’ and helped me sign with my agent. Still The Wave was essential. It’s a genre that US studios understand and they like the European way of approaching the genre, with more humanity and characters you care about. The combination of spectacle and emotional impact is something Hollywood loves.

When will you shoot your next Norwegian film? 
RU: “I have an epic adventure about Roald Amundsen with Friland Film. We are waiting for support from the Norwegian Film Institute. We are in competition with two other Amundsen projects but I’d really like to do that project. It’s based on a great script by Danish writer Mikael Olsen. That will be lined up hopefully after Tomb Raider.