Tomb Raider live-action in works with Killing Eve creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge

Amazon MGM Studios has announced a live-action Tomb Raider series that is being developed by Killing Eve and Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge. The announcement was made during Amazon's Upfront Presentation on Tuesday, May 14, 2024, which was held in New York, and it was also revealed that the casting for the upcoming Lara Croft is set to begin soon.

The news about a live-action Tomb Raider series was originally reported by The Hollywood Reporter last year, and it looks like Amazon Prime Video is going all in with the project. The news comes right after Amazon Prime Video released another hit video-game to show adaptation, Fallout, which went on to become quite successful and one of the streaming service's most popular shows last month.

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Phoebe Waller-Bridge shares excitement over the upcoming Tomb Raider project

Phoebe Waller-Bridge will be writing the scripts for the series but won't be starring in it. The writer, who is popular for creating Killing Eve and Fleabag, shared that she is extremely privileged to be developing this series and that her teenage self would "explode" as the character has been a huge part of her life. In a statement during the event, she said:

“If I could tell my teenage self this was happening I think she’d explode. 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 Croft means a lot to me, as she does to many, and I can’t wait to go on this adventure. Bats ‘n all."

Alongside writing, Waller-Bridge will also be executive-producing the series. On stage, Jennifer Salke, Amazon MGM Studios' chief, confirmed that a search for an actress to play Lara Croft is set to begin soon, while also sharing Waller-Bridge's love for the character. She said:

"Phoebe has a lifelong love affair with Lara Croft and as soon and very soon we’ll start the worldwide search for who will play this iconic role and I just can’t wait."

This will be the third live-action Tomb Raider project. It will be following the classic two films that starred Angelina Jolie that were released in the early 2000s and the Alicia Vikander 2018 film. An animated Netflix series is in development too, starring Hayley Atwell as the voice of Lara Croft. It is titled The Legend of Lara Croft and is set to release sometime in 2024.

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What is Tomb Raider about?

Tomb Raider is an action-adventure videogame franchise that follows Lara Croft, a British archaeologist, as she goes out in search of ancient treasures. The original videogame was created by Core Design, and now the main developers of the franchise are Crystal Dynamics, who rebooted the series back in 2013 to explore a darker take on Lara Croft.

Lara Croft is recognized as one of the most popular videogame characters of all time, with the franchise itself being a staple of action-adventure videogames. Crystal Dynamics also has another upcoming game based on the character in production. It's unknown when the Phoebe Waller-Bridge show will premiere on Amazon Prime Video.