Sophie Turner has officially been cast as Lara Croft in Amazon’s Tomb Raider live action series by Phoebe Waller Bridge.
For months it seemed Amazon’s big bet on a live-action Tomb Raider series was over before it began. Reports earlier this year suggested Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s expensive adaptation was dead in the water. Yet today, the streamer surprised the industry with the announcement that Sophie Turner has officially been cast as Lara Croft, breathing life back into a project many had written off.
From Rumors of Cancellation to Revival
Back in April, insiders were whispering that Amazon had quietly shelved the Tomb Raider show. No completed scripts, no production schedule, and mounting skepticism made it appear the project was finished. That reporting, which we covered at the time, looked like the end of the line for Amazon’s expensive push into gaming IP.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Phoebe Waller-Bridge attends the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny presentation during the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Jeff Spicer/Jeff Spicer/Getty Images for Disney)
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Now, however, the series is not only alive but moving forward at full speed. Production is slated to begin in January 2026, with Fleabag star and Indiana Jones ruiner Phoebe Waller-Bridge writing, executive producing, and sharing showrunning duties alongside Chad Hodge. Jonathan Van Tulleken is attached as director and executive producer.
The big headline of course is that Sophie Turner, best known as Sansa Stark from Game of Thrones, will wield the pistols and iconic braid as Lara Croft.
The Amazon–Waller-Bridge Problem
The return of Tomb Raider also has broader implications for Amazon. Waller-Bridge’s exclusive deal with the studio was reported to be worth somewhere around $60–100 million, signed in 2019 under then-studio head Jennifer Salke. For years, the deal has been criticized as a costly misfire.
LONDON, ENGLAND – APRIL 07: Phoebe Waller-Bridge onstage during the Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny presentation during the studio panel at Star Wars Celebration 2023 in London at ExCel on April 07, 2023 in London, England. (Photo by Kate Green/Getty Images for Disney)
Waller-Bridge’s breakout hit Fleabag was not part of this agreement. That show was originally produced for the BBC, with Amazon merely handling international distribution. The lucrative Amazon contract came after Fleabag’s success and was supposed to deliver new originals for Prime Video. Yet until this Tomb Raider revival, the deal had yielded absolutely nothing.
With Salke now out of her position, reviving Tomb Raider looks like an attempt to claw back some value from an arrangement that has faced growing scrutiny.
Why Sophie Turner?
Turner’s casting brings instant star power. She is a recognizable face with global recognition thanks to Game of Thrones, and she brings credibility to a role that has seen mixed success on the big screen. Angelina Jolie made Lara Croft a box office draw in the early 2000s, but more recent adaptations struggled to find traction.
Sophie Turner in an interview – YouTube, Harper’s Bazaar UK
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With Turner on board, Amazon is signaling that this series will be treated as a prestige project rather than a mid-tier experiment. Pairing her with Waller-Bridge’s writing gives the series a distinct angle that could set it apart from the earlier films for better or worse.
Can Amazon Finally Deliver?
The real question now is whether Amazon can actually get this show across the finish line. The streamer has stumbled with expensive IP bets before—The Rings of Power being the most high-profile example—and the pressure is on for Sophie Turner and Tomb Raider to avoid a similar fate.
If it lands, the series could provide a much-needed justification for Waller-Bridge’s pricey overall deal. If it falters, it will serve as yet another example of Hollywood studios throwing good money after bad ideas.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft (L to R) Earl Baylon as Jonah Maiava, Hayley Atwell as Lara Croft and Allen Maldonado as Zip in Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft. Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2024
For fans of Lara Croft, the good news is clear: the project is alive, cameras are scheduled to roll in January, and Sophie Turner will soon don the role of gaming’s most famous adventurer.
How do you feel about Sophie Turner starring in Amazon’s Tomb Raider? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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