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."
"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.
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