Amazon has announced an upcoming Tomb Raider TV series, and the video game adaptation is getting more and more exciting with each new update. Debuting back in 1996 on the Sega Saturn and Playstation, the Tomb Raider video game series follows archaeologist Lara Croft as she uses her expertise to discover lost artifacts and explore dangerous lost tombs around the globe. The popular video game series spawned a wealth of sequels, and Croft herself has become an icon among video game mascots.
It didn’t take long before Tomb Raider made the jump to other forms of media, and a feature film was produced in 2001 starring Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft. A successful sequel followed in 2003, but Jolie’s departure from the role put the big-screen franchise on ice for over a decade. Finally, in 2018, Tomb Raider premiered as a reboot of the series and swapped Jolie for Alicia Vikander. A planned sequel to the 2018 film fell through, and the Tomb Raider film and TV franchise sat dormant until the announcement of an upcoming TV series that will exist in a shared universe with Amazon’s new film.
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Amazon’s Tomb Raider Reboot Must Adapt The CLASSIC Games
Amazon is rebooting Tomb Raider once again, but in order to find success with her future, Lara Croft must return to her roots in the classic games.
The Tomb Raider TV Show Latest News
Sophie Turner Is Set To Play Lara Croft
Not long after a list of names were announced as in contention for the role, the latest news confirms that Amazon’s Tomb Raider series has cast its Lara Croft. Opting for a recognizable name with franchise experience, Amazon has tapped Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner to play the swashbuckling adventurer. Turner is currently in negotiations to play the role, and she has apparently beaten out a bevy of top prospects including Mackenzie Davis (Halt and Catch Fire), Emma Mackey (Sex Education), Emma Corrin (The Crown), and Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody).
Turner also appeared in two
X-Men
films as Jean Grey.
The Tomb Raider TV Show Is Confirmed
The Project Was First Teased In 2023
Amazon is also producing a
Tomb Raider
reboot film which will exist in the same timeline as the show.
Besides confirming that the Tomb Raider show was happening, Amazon got even more ambitious when they announced a larger Tomb Raider universe. Not only will the Phoebe Waller-Bridge series bring Lara Croft back to the small screen, but Amazon is also producing a Tomb Raider reboot film which will exist in the same timeline as the show. Though details about how the two connect are still unknown, the plan is an exciting use of the popular intellectual property.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
is an animated series released by Netflix in October 2024.
The Tomb Raider TV Show Production Status
The Show Does Not Have A Release Date Yet
No release date has been set for the Tomb Raider TV series, and it likely won’t have one for a while. Despite being announced in early 2023, the lack of any considerable updates proves the project isn’t that far along. Though Megan McDonnell has been added to the writing team, that only serves to suggest that Tomb Raider is still in the very early stages of pre-production. With McDonnell hired to write in late 2023, it will take a while for the scripts to be completed and even longer for the production to start rolling.
The Tomb Raider film and TV franchise includes:
|
Movie Or TV Show |
Release Year(s) |
Rotten Tomatoes Score |
|---|---|---|
|
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider |
2001 |
20% |
|
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life |
2003 |
24% |
|
Revisioned: Tomb Raider |
2007 |
N/A |
|
Tomb Raider |
2018 |
52% |
|
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft |
2024 |
62% |
The Tomb Raider TV Show Cast Details
Lara Croft Has Been Cast
Though the entire cast hasn’t been assembled yet, the Amazon Tomb Raider TV show has found its Lara Croft. Opting for an actor with a lot of franchise experience, Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) has been tapped to play Lara Croft in the new series. No stranger to action/adventure stories, Turner also played the role of superhero Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men film franchise. Turner’s starpower suggests the ensemble will be filled with recognizable names, but no one else has been cast yet.
The Tomb Raider TV Show Story Details
Will The Series Adapt The Games?
Even though no plot has been released for the Tomb Raider TV series, viewers can expect plenty of pulse-pounding action. Croft is known for wielding her dual pistols, and she will likely face dangers that stretch far beyond the pitfalls and booby traps of a few dusty old tombs. Also, with Waller-Bridge involved, a fair amount of humor can be expected to pepper the dialogue as well.
Though it hasn’t been confirmed, the series could tackle the plots of some of the classic video games, and that could help endear it to long-time fans of the franchise. While the older games were much simpler, the newer games feature plenty of exciting mysteries that the Tomb Raider show could explore. Even if the series wanted to concoct an entirely new story, the Tomb Raider show would benefit from taking a page or two from its source material.
Tomb Raider
The Tomb Raider franchise is an iconic series of action-adventure games, films, and media centered around the character Lara Croft, a British archaeologist known for her exploration of ancient tombs and perilous environments. The franchise began with the original video game in 1996 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon, with Lara Croft becoming one of the most recognizable and influential characters in gaming history. Over the years, Tomb Raider has expanded into multiple video game series, films, comic books, and even theme park attractions, maintaining its relevance through various reboots and adaptations.
- Created by
- Toby Gard
- First TV Show
- Revisioned: Tomb Raider
- First Episode Air Date
- June 10, 2007
- Spin-offs
- Revisioned: Tomb Raider
- Character(s)
- Lara Croft , Richard Croft , Jacqueline Natla , Amanda Evert , Ana , Lu Ren , Terry Sheridan , Manfred Powell , Mathias Vogel , Siva
Summary
The Tomb Raider franchise is an iconic series of action-adventure games, films, and media centered around the character Lara Croft, a British archaeologist known for her exploration of ancient tombs and perilous environments. The franchise began with the original video game in 1996 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon, with Lara Croft becoming one of the most recognizable and influential characters in gaming history. Over the years, Tomb Raider has expanded into multiple video game series, films, comic books, and even theme park attractions, maintaining its relevance through various reboots and adaptations.