Alicia Vikander put on a lot of muscle to play Lara, as she wanted the character to be as realistic as possible, and so she could do some of her own stunts.
The plot is loosely based on the 2013 reboot of the video game series, Tomb Raider (2013). It also shares some minor elements of Crystal Dynamics' sequel game, Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015).
Duncan Airlie James (Terry the Trainer) is a former six-time world Thai/Kickboxing champion and K-1 fighter.
In March 2013, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer announced that they acquired the rights to the "Tomb Raider" film franchise from Paramount Pictures, who had let their movie rights expire after Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003) "failed to find audiences" (despite being a worldwide success).
For this movie, Alicia Vikander wanted to play a strong and physically fit Lara Croft, so her goal was to gain enough muscle and strength. Walton Goggins stated that: "She is just a real powerhouse. She made me embarrassed to take my shirt off, and I go to the gym five days a week!"