Another franchise to receive the reboot treatment, Tomb Raider is being turned into a series next year by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Sophie Turner is playing Lara Croft.
Apparently, style icon Sophie beat stiff competition for the lead role, including Mackenzie Denis, Emma Mackey and Lucy Boynton. The new Amazon Prime series starts production on 19 January and is expected to be released late next year.
Is Sophie Turner the new Lara Croft?
Being cast in the iconic role of Lara Croft, Sophie has some large shoes to fill. She is the third person to take on the part, following in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander who both starred in previous feature films.
'I'm so excited to announce the formidable Sophie Turner as our Lara alongside this phenomenal creative team,' the Fleabag creator said in a statement. '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. Get your artifacts out – Croft is coming.'
Sophie chimed in on the news herself adding: '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.'
When is the new Tomb Raider coming out?
As a fan of the franchise, Phoebe began developing Tomb Raider in early 2023 and it was bought by Prime Video in May 2024. Her co-showrunner is Chad Hodge and the series will be directed and executive produced by Jonathan Tulleken.
How have fans reacted to Sophie Turner playing Lara Croft?
Model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley was one of the first to comment on the news. 'Literally my school girl fantasy!! Yes girl,' she wrote under the Instagram post that broke the news.
Another fan wrote, 'Yes yes yes Sophie Turner and Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a fantastic 1-2 punch! Can't wait.' Someone else commented, 'A British Lara, let's go' with a flame emoji. A third simply wrote, 'Queen doing queen things.'
Who starred in the previous adaptations of Tomb Raider?
Naturally, given the cultural impact of the original film, some fans remain loyal to Angelina Jolie. She starred in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider in 2001 and The Cradle of Life in 2003.
'Angelina Jolie was the perfect choice to play this legendary character and she even had the looks just like the gaming 90s Lara Croft,' reads one online review. 'And also she does a lot of her own stunts for action roles which she did in this movie which is awesome.'
Then in 2018 a reboot of the film called Tomb Raider was released, starring The Danish Girl's Alicia Vikander. The adaptation also featured Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu and Kristin Scott Thomas. A sequel was initially in development with Alicia set to return, but it was cancelled in 2022 after MGM's rights to the series expired and Alicia then stepped down.
Nikki Peach is a writer at Grazia UK, working across entertainment, TV and news. She has also written for the i, i-D and the New Statesman Media Group and covers all things pop culture for Grazia (treating high and lowbrow with equal respect).