What a difference a few months makes: Variety says Amazon's live-action Tomb Raider series, which was reportedly "dead" in April, is set to begin production in January 2026, with Game of Thrones actor Sophie Turner set to take the lead as renowned artifact plunderer Lara Croft.
Turner was one of two actors who were reported as frontrunners for the role back in 2024, the other being Lucy Boynton, known for playing Mary Austin in the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody.
"I am thrilled beyond measure to be playing Lara Croft," Turner said. "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."
That would be Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander, who portrayed the character in earlier feature films, and Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the Tomb Raider showrunner. The Variety report says Waller-Bridge will now share that role with co-showrunner Chag Hodge, while Jonathan van Tulleken will direct and serve as executive producer.
"I’m so excited to announce the formidable Sophie Turner as our Lara alongside this phenomenal creative team," Waller-Bridge said. "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."
The casting announcement is especially interesting because of that previous report indicating the series had run aground, with tens of millions spent and nothing to show for it. Neither Prime Video nor Waller-Bridge's reps commented on the report at the time, but this is a pretty clear rebuttal: It's still possible that the whole thing goes down in a blaze of creative acrimony, but you don't announce a very high-profile series star and specific production kickoff date—January 19, 2026—unless you've got things pretty tightly locked down.
"We are thrilled to have the wonderfully talented Sophie Turner bring this character to life who is defined by her courage, strength, and unshakable resolve," Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, added to the pile-on of laudatory exclamations. "Led by the brilliant Phoebe Waller-Bridge, this series will honor the beloved Tomb Raider legacy while delivering fresh adventures to fans worldwide."
Sadly, Tomb Raider fans who would prefer their fresh adventures in videogame format are unfortunately in a less clarified position. A new Tomb Raider game was announced in April 2022 but, aside from Amazon assuming publishing duties, we've heard virtually nothing about it since. Developer Crystal Dynamics, meanwhile, has been going through it: Despite having a new Tomb Raider in the works, the studio laid off employees in March and then again in August following the cancellation of the Perfect Dark reboot, which it was co-developing alongside The Initiative.
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