Lara Croft is officially back—twice over—and the internet is still buzzing from the double‑barreled reveal at The Game Awards. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is giving the 1999 classic a full Unreal Engine 5 reimagining, while Tomb Raider: Catalyst is pushing the franchise into a bold new era set in Northern India. But not everyone is convinced this return is the right move.
One of the series’ original co‑creators, Paul Douglas, took to BlueSky to voice his concerns, and let’s just say he didn’t sugarcoat it.
“She’s back, apparently,” he wrote, adding that he’d “prefer exploring new lost worlds than another remake/remaster/reimagining of something we crafted under intense duress in the 90s.”
That’s the kind of comment that can send a fandom spiraling. Yeah, doesn’t inspire much confidence. But the new Lara Croft herself? She’s not spiraling. She’s not even sweating.
She’s smiling…how on character!
New Lara Croft Responds to Co‑Creator’s Concerns
In a new interview with TheGamer, Lara’s new actor Alix Wilton Regan—known for Cyberpunk 2077, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and Mass Effect 3—responded to Douglas’ comments with the kind of calm confidence that makes you think she’s already holding the franchise in the palm of her hand.
“Get back to me in a year’s time with your comments,” she said, smiling as she said it.
No malice. No defensiveness. Just a woman who knows exactly what she’s building.
Wilton Regan emphasized that her Lara isn’t a copy‑paste of any previous version. She’s not trying to mimic Camilla Luddington, Keeley Hawes, or Shelley Blond. She’s crafting something new—something she calls a “very, very cool, original reimagining of Lara Croft.”
And honestly? That’s exactly the energy this franchise needs.
A New Era, Not a Retread
The concern from Douglas isn’t coming out of nowhere. The industry is drowning in remakes, remasters, and “reimaginings” that sometimes feel more like brand maintenance than creative evolution. But Wilton Regan makes it clear she’s not here to play it safe.
She studied the older games to understand the lineage, sure—but she also said it would be “counterproductive” to spend too much time looking backward.
Translation: Lara Croft isn’t a museum exhibit. She’s a living character, and this team is treating her like one.
Two Games, One Lara, Zero Fear
With Legacy of Atlantis and Catalyst arriving back‑to‑back, this is the most ambitious Tomb Raider rollout in decades. And Wilton Regan is the connective tissue between both titles—one reimagining the past, the other forging the future.
It’s a risky move. It’s a loud move. It’s a “we know exactly what we’re doing” move.
And if the new Lara Croft is this confident? Maybe we should be, too.
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