Black Country actor set to star in Hollywood blockbuster Tomb Raider
He is a rising Black Country actor and now Antonio Aakeel is set to appear in the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster Tomb Raider opposite an Oscar-winning actress.
Antonio, aged 22, will be starring alongside 2016’s best actress Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander in the new reboot of the franchise, which previously starred Angelina Jolie.
Vikander has taken on the lead role of Lara Croft, a heroine based on the popular video game, which follows Lara as she embarks on a journey to uncover the mystery behind her father’s disappearance.
Fast rising Antonio, from Wolverhampton has recently starred in BBC Films’ City of Tiny Lights opposite Billie Piper and Riz Ahmed and was on screens last month in the BBC One drama ‘Three Girls’.
Antonio went to Holyhead Primary School in Wednesbury, followed by Wodensborough Ormiston Academy.
He has recently finished filming the lead role in comedy film ‘Eaten by Lions’, opposite Johnny Vegas, which will bed released next year in cinemas.
Antonio said: “I couldn’t quite believe it when I got the call I had landed Tomb Raider.
"It was at the end of shooting Eaten by Lions and I’d been asked to put myself on tape with two hours' notice.
"I filmed it outside my trailer on my lunch break and luckily It got me the part.
“Alicia is a phenomenal talent.
"We got on instantly and its clear just how incredibly hard she has worked to bring Lara to life. From the day we met, we had a natural spark which I feel really aided the performance.
“It’s very clear from the off my character Nitin is in love with Lara.
"They have a unique chemistry and familiarity that translates through his every action.”
A synopsis for Tomb Raider says: "Seven years after the disappearance of her father, 21-year-old Lara has refused to take the reins of his global business empire, instead working as a bike courier in London while taking college classes.
"Eventually she becomes inspired to investigate her father’s disappearance and travels to his last-known location: a tomb on an island somewhere off the coast of Japan."
Norwegian filmmaker Roar Uthaug, best known for the critically acclaimed film ‘The Wave’, is directing.
Tomb Raider was green-lit by Warnerbros and Raider Productions and has an official international release date of March 16, 2018.
Tomb Raider also stars Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, Hannah John-Kamen and Kristin Scott Thomas.
