British gymnast is new Tomb Raider

August 18, 2008

Move over, Angelina Jolie. There's a new Lara Croft in town, and she's a 23-year-old gymnast from South London, Tomb Raider publisher Eidos announced this week.

Ever since actress Rhonda Mitra first took on the role of Tomb Raider heroine Lara Croft in 1997, Eidos has sought real-life counterparts for its acrobatic archaeologist heroine, and they've helped propel the video game series to worldwide sales topping 32 million. Up until now the British publisher's picks have tended to be models or, like Jolie, movie stars, but Alison Carroll might just be the first Croft to have the physical abilities to do her famously acrobatic opposite number justice.

Carroll boasts 12 years of gymnastics training and numerous honors representing Great Britain in sporting displays. Although her Lara role won't involve any movie work, she'll still be kept sufficiently busy traveling the world promoting the latest Tomb Raider game, Underworld, to allow her to quit her day job -- as a receptionist.

"It's unbelievable how realistic [Lara's] movements are in Tomb Raider: Underworld and it's so gratifying to be able to use my years of gymnastic training to portray such a beloved character," Carroll said in a press release.

Although Carroll's more than able to match Croft kick for kick, she's still undergoing a training regime that includes weapons classes in Eastern Europe, survival technique instruction from British SAS troops, and -- naturally -- a crash course in archaeology.

{All I have to say is :cry }