Summary
Lara Croft has been back in the spotlight lately following the release of the animated seriesTomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. Now the town is talking about who may play the character in Amazon’s live-actionTomb Raider, which will be a TV adaptation of the long-running video game franchise.
The lastTomb Raiderlive-action adaptation came in 2018, with the Alicia Vikander-fronted film, which unfortunately, did not gross enough at the box office to guarantee a sequel. While there was talk of another film with Vikander, nothing eventuated. Then in May 2024,Amazon ordered a new live-actionTomb Raiderseriesas part of its deal with game developer Crystal Dynamics. The series will be connected to Crystal Dynamics’ series ofTomb Raidergames, which has thus far includedTomb Raider(2013),Rise of the Tomb Raider(2015),Shadow of the Tomb Raider(2018), and a fourth untitled game that is currently in development.
The Search For A New Lara Croft Actress Heats Up
Amazon’sTomb Raiderseries is being written and produced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who is known for her work creating TV seriesFleabagandKilling Eve, as well as starring inSolo: A Star Wars StoryandIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Fans have been waiting to see which actress will be the next to take on the role of the iconic Lara Croft, withHayley Atwell most recently voicing the characterin the Netflix animated series. At Amazon’s upfronts in May, studio chief Jennifer Salke said the casting would involve a worldwide search.
Deadlinehas now thrown some names into the mix, reporting that Sophie Turner and Lucy Boynton are two of theactors Amazon is consideringto test for the lead role of Lara Croft. Turner is perhapsbest known for her role as Sansa Starkwho she portrayed in all eight seasons ofGame of Thrones. She also had a leading role as a young Jean Grey in Fox’s X-Men prequelsX-Men: ApocalypseandDark Phoenix. Boynton has had starring roles in Netflix TV showsGypsyandThe Politician, and in the feature filmsBohemian Rhapsody,The Greatest Hits,andBarbie. No other names were revealed in the report, but it appears that Amazon is looking to cast a British star in the role, which would match the character’s origins.
Few details have been revealed about the plot or direction of Amazon’sTomb Raiderseries, but Waller-Bridgedid say in a statement earlier this year thatTomb Raiderwas a huge part of her life and that the character of Lara Croft means a lot to her. With casting now underway, it seems that an announcement of a new Lara Croft actress could be imminent, and also likely means that scripts for the series have been completed. Hopefully, it also signals that production on the series will begin soon.
Crystal Dynamics is yet to provide a release window for its nextTomb Raidergame, and Netflix is in development on itssecond season ofTomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. At this point, with manyTomb Raiderprojects in development, it’s anyone’s guess as to which will be released first.
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider is one of the biggest names in action-adventure gaming. The series began in 1996 and has had three trilogies of games: the original trilogy, the legend trilogy, and the survivor trilogy, as well as a handful of other titles in-between.The Tomb Raider series is led by protagonist Lara Croft, who is considered to be one of the most important female characters in gaming history.
