(Left) Sophie Turner in ‘Another Me.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox. (Right) Lara Croft from the ‘Tomb Raider’ video game.
We’ve known for nearly two years now that Amazon has plans for treasure hunting character Lara Croft and the series of ‘Tomb Raider’ games in which she appears.
With ‘Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge developing a new TV take on Lara for Prime Video, word broke last month that ‘Game of Thrones’ veteran Sophie Turner and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’s Lucy Boynton had made it to the final round of testing to play Lara.
Now, from the sounds of it, Waller-Bridge and Amazon have made their choice, as Deadline reports that Turner, who played Sansa Stark in the huge HBO fantasy series, will be strapping on a utility belt and shorts as Croft.
Related Article: Amazon Developing ‘Tomb Raider’ Movies, Games and a Phoebe Waller-Bridge TV Series
What’s the history of ‘Tomb Raider’?
Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft in ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Launched in 1996 on Sony’s PlayStation console, the ‘Tomb Raider’ series has gone on to be a huge selling title across various platforms, earning more than $95 million by last year and spawning a massive amount of merchandising.
The series gives the player control of fictional British archaeologist Lara Croft, who travels around the world searching for lost artefacts and infiltrating dangerous tombs and ruins.
It has been adapted a few times for movies––2001’s ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ and 2003’s ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life’, both of which starred Angelina Jolie as the title character, and 2018’s ‘Tomb Raider’, which rebooted the series, with Roar Uthaug in the director’s chair and Alicia Vikander as Croft.
That most recent title came from MGM and Warner Bros., but though there had been talk of a sequel, with first ‘Meg 2: The Trench‘s Ben Wheatley and then ‘Lovecraft Country’s Misha Green attached to make it, development stalled.
Amazon, of course, bought MGM last year, but the rights to the ‘Tomb Raider’ games had already lapsed from the studio because of the lack of forward movement on the new movie.
With the rights in Amazon’s grip, the plans have now shifted to building out an interconnected Lara Croft universe boasting a new game release and what will probably be another movie reboot but is currently focused on a TV series (unrelated to the one already on Netflix).
What has Phoebe Waller-Bridge said about ‘Tomb Raider’?
Phoebe Waller-Bridge from ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’ at Star Wars Celebration 2023.
While Amazon MGM Studios Head Jennifer Salke has described the company’s plans for the show and other ventures as “epic” and “globe-trotting,” here’s what ‘Raider’ fan Waller-Bridge had to say:
“Lara Croft means a lot to me, as she does to many, and I can’t wait to go on this adventure. Bats ‘n all.”
When will the ‘Tomb Raider’ series hit screens?
With the show still at the casting stage (and Amazon as yet unwilling to officially confirm Turner, pointing to a deal that hasn’t closed right now), it’s far too early to speculate when it might be on Prime Video’s servers.
But we’ll go ahead anyway: 2026 at the earliest!
Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft in 2018’s ‘Tomb Raider.’ Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.