New Tomb Raider voice actor compares Lara Croft to James Bond as both British icons prepare for new games

Alix Wilton Regan is the new voice actor for Lara Croft, taking over from Grey’s Anatomy’s Camilla Luddington, who portrayed the character throughout the Tomb Raider Survivor trilogy. In an interview with gaming podcast ReadyAimFire, Regan once again expresses her excitement for the role, while also comparing Lara Croft to James Bond, as both British icons prepare for new game releases.

Asked how it feels to step into the shoes of a character with more than 30 years of history, Regan says, “It is surreal, it is thrilling, and it is deeply humbling because I know how much it means to so many people”.

Regan will first play Lara Croft in Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis, scheduled to release in 2026. The game is a reimagining of the original Tomb Raider, which launched in 1996. She will then return as Lara for Tomb Raider Catalyst in 2027, a brand-new story set after 2008’s Underworld.

While the Survivor trilogy from 2013 to 2018 portrayed Lara as more grounded and vulnerable, Regan reveals her take on the character is “cool and capable and hyper-intelligent,” as well as “witty.” This direction is more reminiscent of the classic PS1-era Lara Croft, who was depicted as a confident, globe-trotting action hero.

Regan adds, “I think fans are going to love the games, and I think they’re going to love the way that the writers have portrayed her”.

For longtime fans, Regan’s comments may come as a relief after more than a decade of waiting for Lara Croft to fully return to her classic form. While the goal of the Survivor trilogy was to transition Lara from a grounded survivor into the iconic adventurer of the earlier games, that evolution felt drawn out and remained incomplete by the end of Shadow of the Tomb Raider in 2018.

Tomb Raider voice actor compares Lara Croft to fellow British icon James Bond

In the same interview, Regan compares Lara Croft to fellow British icon James Bond. She acknowledges that the world does “compare [Lara Croft] to James Bond,” before stopping short of calling Lara the larger “cultural phenomenon”.

Regan points out that while James Bond “has gone into video games,” Lara Croft “jumped out of video games”. She emphasizes that Lara “is a cultural icon that transcends video games,” citing her appearances in three films, an animated series, and an upcoming Amazon Prime series starring Game of Thrones’ Sophie Turner and Alien’s Sigourney Weaver.

The two characters are fundamentally different. Bond is traditionally a suave secret agent known for fast cars and being a ladies’ man, while Lara is a bombastic tomb raider originally inspired by Indiana Jones. However, both are unmistakably British icons and among the most recognizable fictional characters of all time.

James Bond originated in Ian Fleming’s novels in 1953 before becoming a film franchise spanning 27 movies, starring prolific actors such as Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan, and, most recently, Daniel Craig. The franchise has also found success in gaming, from GoldenEye to the upcoming 007 First Light from Hitman developer IO Interactive, which is set to launch on May 27, 2026.

Tomb Raider, meanwhile, is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. The franchise includes around 20 games, including spin-offs and mobile titles, and in 2025 Lara Croft earned the Guinness World Record for best-selling video game heroine, with more than 100 million units sold worldwide.

Lara also holds the record for the most magazine cover appearances, with more than 2,300 across gaming, film, and lifestyle publications such as Newsweek, TIME, and, most famously, Playboy in 1999. She was also named the most iconic video game character of all time at the BAFTA Games Awards in 2024.

With 007 First Light and Tomb Raider Legacy of Atlantis both on the horizon, two of Britain’s most enduring pop culture icons are preparing to return to the spotlight once again.