The Tomb Raider franchise, and by extension, Lara Croft, is no stranger to adaptations, and Prime Video wants to put its own spin on the adventuring spirit. Following previous reports of cancellation, the Amazon-owned streamer has announced a production start date for its live-action Tomb Raider series, with Sophie Turner starring as the iconic archaeologist.
As previously reported, Fleabag and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny star Phoebe Waller-Bridge will serve as creator, writer, and executive producer on the project. The filmmaker is newly joined by Chad Hodge, attached to the executive producer and co-showrunner roles, alongside director and executive producer Jonathan van Tulleken.
“I’m so excited to announce the formidable Sophie Turner as our Lara alongside this phenomenal creative team,” Waller-Bridge said in a statement. “It’s not very often you get to make a show of this scale with a character you grew up loving. Everyone on board is wildly passionate about Lara and are all as outrageous, brave, and hilarious as she is. Get your artifacts out — Croft is coming.”
There’s no word on a release date, but production is officially set to begin on 19 January 2026. Turner emerged as the frontrunner for the lead role in 2024, after facing competition from Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody), Mackenzie Davis (Terminator: Dark Fate), and Emma Mackey (Sex Education) in a round of screen tests.
“I am thrilled beyond measure to be playing Lara Croft,” added the Game of Thrones alum. “She’s such an iconic character, who means so much to so many – and I am giving everything I’ve got. They’re massive shoes to fill, following in the steps of Angelina and Alicia with their powerhouse performances, but with Phoebe at the helm, we (and Lara) are all in very safe hands. I can’t wait for you all to see what we have cooking.”
The upcoming Tomb Raider outing was developed under a deal between video game studio Crystal Dynamics and Amazon MGM Studios as part of Story Kitchen’s larger plan to explore more films and series adaptations based on the franchise. Turner is the latest star to play Croft on the silver screen, following Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander’s previous stints in 2001 and 2018, respectively. More recently, Haley Atwell (Agent Carter) lent her voice to the character in Netflix’s Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, which was renewed for a second season.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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Kevin Low
