It seems reports of the death of Amazon Prime’s Tomb Raider series may have been greatly exaggerated. The UK’s execrable Daily Mail reported earlier this year that “sources” had said the project, scripted by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Killing Eve, Fleabag), was dead. However, it’s now being reported elsewhere that the show is still in development, and that Game of Thrones‘ Sophie Turner is confirmed to be in the lead role.
We already knew Turner was intended to play Lara Craft in this latest attempt to convert Tomb Raider from games to screens, the rumors appearing in October 2024, then seeming more substantial in November. Six months later the errant report that the whole project had derailed appeared, and things have been quiet since. But now both The Hollywood Reporter and Variety are reporting that not only are things still progressing, but that filming is due to start soon (ish). The official date, according to Variety, is January 19, 2026 for shooting to begin, with Sophie Turner officially confirmed by Amazon MGM as appearing in the lead role.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is still in place as writer and executive producer, but is now joined by Chad Hodge (Wayward Pines, Good Behavior) as co-showrunner. The latter seems likely to be due to the obvious stalling in development since the show was announced in 2023. Waller-Bridge became a massively hot property after the breakout success of dark comedy Fleabag, and then the international hit Killing Eve. Signing a colossal eight-figure deal with Amazon to develop shows, the writer has since exited Donald Glover’s revival of Mr & Mrs Smith due to the ever-illusive “creative differences,” and after renewing the contract in 2023, is said to have been working on a yet-to-appear version of Claudia Lux’s Sign Here, as well as Tomb Raider. With the new announcement, it seems that finally something is going into production.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge released a statement saying, “I’m so excited to announce the formidable Sophie Turner as our Lara alongside this phenomenal creative team,” the latter also including Jonathan Van Tulleken (Shogun) as a director. She added, “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.”
Sophie Turner also released a comment. “I am thrilled beyond measure to be playing Lara Croft,” the Joan actor said. “She’s such an iconic character, who means so much to so many—and I am giving everything I’ve got.”
Turner is the third person to attempt to portray Croft on screens, following Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander in previous movie outings, each film terrible in its own way. “They’re massive shoes to fill,” Turner rather generously says of the previous actors, “but with Phoebe at the helm, as (and Lara) are all in very safe hands.”
There does seem more reason to be optimistic about this new version of Tomb Raider. Turner is a solid choice for the super-posh lead, already having the clipped English tones of previous voice actors for the games, like Judith Gibbons and Keeley Hawes, and Waller-Bridge is demonstrably one of the most capable television writers of the generation, with her ability to combine weighty drama with genuine laughs. Letting Lara have a sense of humor is something grimly forgotten in the last three games, and it’ll be lovely to see that return. Clearly, with filming not starting until next year, and likely a very lengthy post-production for SFX, the show is still a very long way off. Holiday 2026 seems optimistic at this point, so we’ve a heck of a wait to find out how it will all work out.