“Lara means a lot to me, as she does to many, and I can’t wait to go on this adventure.”
Amazon has commissioned a new Tomb Raider TV series for Prime Video, with Phoebe Waller-Bridge acting as writer and executive producer.
The project is part of an agreement between video game developer Crystal Dynamics – a subsidiary of the Embracer Group, which purchased the rights to Tomb Raider for $300 million from Square Enix in 2022 – and Amazon MGM Studios.
The story will be adapted from the long-running video game franchise, following the famous archaeologist Lara Croft and her adventures around the world.
“If I could tell my teenage self that this was happening, I think she’d explode,” said Waller-Bridge as part of the announcement.
“Tomb Raider has been a huge part of my life, and I feel incredibly privileged to be bringing it to television with such passionate collaborators.
“Lara means a lot to me, as she does to many, and I can’t wait to go on this adventure. Bats ‘n’ all.”
Waller-Bridge is best known as the creator and star of Fleabag, a two-season comedy about a confused single woman living in London.
She also created TV series Killing Eve, worked on the screenplay for No Time to Die and, most recently, starred in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny as Indy’s goddaughter.
“I’m so happy to announce that we have ordered the epic, globetrotting series Tomb Raider from the incredibly gifted Emmy Award winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge and the team at Crystal Dynamics,” said Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke.
“Fans and newcomers can look forward to exhilarating adventures that honour the legacy of this iconic character.”
Crystal Dynamics studio head Scot Amos added: “These timeless stories span all media platforms to meet audiences where they want to engage with Tomb Raider; it’s a critical step towards our future with fans everywhere.”
This isn’t the first deal between Crystal Dynamics and Amazon, with the pair previously announcing a collaboration in December 2022 to develop and publish a new Tomb Raider game.
While no further details were revealed for the title, we do know that it’s a single-player, narrative-driven action adventure that will launch on multiple platforms.
It also mentioned that it would be the “next chapter” in Lara Croft’s legendary exploration. The last major game release was Shadow of the Tomb Raider in 2018 from Eidos-Montréal.
The Tomb Raider TV series will debut on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories.
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No release window or details surrounding casting have been announced, so whether Alicia Vikander will return after portraying the character in the 2018 movie is currently unknown.
From reading the press release, it does seem likely that a new actor will be found. Who knows, we might still get a cameo from Vikander or even Angelina Jolie, who first portrayed Lara on screen in the ’90s.
Meanwhile, it’s another big commitment from Amazon to foray further into the world of video games, following the Fallout TV show‘s success.
Debuting in April, it amassed over 65 million views in a fortnight, and has already been renewed for a second season. Let’s hope Lara receives the same treatment.
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