One of the most anticipated Prime Video shows on the horizon is Tomb Raider, and the video game adaptation just got an exciting new update.
Based on the popular video game franchise, Tomb Raider will star Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) as Lara Croft, an archaeologist and adventurer who travels the globe while facing off with formidable enemies.
After some recent casting speculation, Amazon has confirmed that Jason Isaacs and Sigourney Weaver will be joining Turner in the series (via Deadline).
Isaacs will be playing Atlas De Mournay, a character from the franchise canon and the brother of Lara's late mother, who takes over as head of the family estate. Weaver will seemingly be playing an original character, Evelyn Wallis, who is a powerful and enigmatic figure with her own plans of using Lara's unique talents.
Isaacs received an Emmy nomination last year for his role as Timothy Ratliff in The White Lotus season 3, while Weaver recently appeared in James Cameron's blockbuster sequel Avatar: Fire and Ash.
Along with Isaacs and Weaver, Tomb Raider also announced the casting of Martin Bobb-Semple as Zip and Bill Paterson as Winston, two of Lara's allies from the franchise. Also joining the series in supporting roles are Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Celia Imrie, Paterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, Juliette Motamed, and August Wittgenstein.
Tomb Raider is the latest project developed at Prime Video from Emmy winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Waller-Bridge is best known for her critically acclaimed comedy-drama series Fleabag as well as creating the popular thriller series Killing Eve.
The small screen could be the right place for Tomb Raider
Phoebe Waller-Bridge's Tomb Raider series is not the first attempt to bring Lara Croft's adventure to live-action.
Despite the popularity of the video game franchise, it has struggled to find its footing in terms of these adaptations. Angelina Jolie starred as Croft in 2001's Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and its sequel, The Cradle of Life, but the franchise went no further. Alicia Vikander took over the role in the 2018 reboot, but it also failed to gain much attention.
However, the franchise could finally find real success by switching to live-action television. In recent years, video game adaptations have risen in popularity and acclaim. The likes of The Last of Us and Fallout prove that there are a lot of stories in this world worth exploring. It makes sense that one of the most popular video game genres of all time would try to make a similar leap.
There is also the added excitement of having Waller-Bridge behind the scenes. Watching Fleabag, it might seem odd to have her create a video game action series. However, Killing Eve also proved that Waller-Bridge knows how to play around in other genres while also reinventing them in fun ways. There is no doubt she has found something special in the story of Lara Croft that she wants to share with the world.