Lara Croft is ready for another outing on the small screen, and this time with Phoebe Waller-Bridge running the show. The Prime Video series Tomb Raider has found its lead in a Game of Thrones star, and we’re excited!
Tomb Raider is one of those video games that has been turned into movies in the past, with varying success rates. The latest adaptation has Prime Video behind it, which has managed to bring an excellent adaptation of the Fallout games, so there is hope of success with this one.
Of course, it was always about finding the best lead for the series. Now the show has done it.
Sophie Turner is Lara Croft in Tomb Raider
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sophie Turner from Game of Thrones will take on the iconic role of Lara Croft. She quickly emerged as the frontrunner when up against names like Emma Mackey and Mackenzie Davis, and she will become the third actress to bring a live-action version of the character to screen. The most memorable was Angelina Jolie in the original movies, followed by Alicia Vikander.
There are sure to be many comparing Turner’s earlier Sansa Stark character to Lara and not seeing it, but take a step away from her Game of Thrones work. Turner has proven her abilities with the likes of Joan and The Staircase, and now she has another chance to shine as the lead.
On top of that, this Tomb Raider series helms from a fan of the video games. Waller-Bridge has a long list of successful projects—Fleabag, anyone?—that there’s no way we are worried about this adaptation. This is the first time the story has been adapted into a TV series.
Turner also made it clear that it’s the fact that the production is in Waller-Bridge’s hands that is sure to make this a success:
“I am thrilled beyond measure to be playing Lara Croft. 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.”
Tomb Raider still doesn’t have a release year
As of right now, there isn’t a release year for the new Prime Video series. While we’re hoping for 2026, the fact that Lara Croft has only just been cast could mean that the production is pushed to the 2027 calendar. This will give more time to get through production and post-production.
The series has been in development since early 2023, when Waller-Bridge realized that she wanted to bring this video game to life. In May 2024, Prime Video order the series, but it’s only now that there is a new update on casting.
It’s not clear whether the series will follow one of the game storylines, or if it will take more of a Fallout approach. The benefit of Fallout is that it didn’t try to recreate the games. Instead, it set its own storyline in a different time period, bringing some fun Easter eggs for the game fans. That seems to be more successful than trying to recreate or mash up game storylines as the likes of Halo and Borderlands have found.