Amazon has greenlit a Tomb Raider series with Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge set to write the new small-screen adventures of Lara Croft.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Waller-Bridge will also executive produce the series but is not eyeing the project as a starring vehicle. Also on board as executive producers are Ryan Andolina, Amanda Greenblatt, and Dmitri M. Johnson. Tomb Raider is the latest in Waller-Bridge's new three-year extension with Amazon. The Emmy-winning writer and star of Fleabag signed a similar deal in 2019 that was set to expire at the end of 2022.
Lara Croft has previously enjoyed three other live-action adaptations, including Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life (2003) with star Angelina Jolie and Tomb Raider (2018) with Alicia Vikander in the lead role. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) was developing a sequel to Vikander's iteration with writer/director Misha Green before losing the film rights to the property in July 2022, resulting in a bidding war. Amazon bought MGM for $8.5 billion in March 2022 before its film rights to Tomb Raider lapsed.
More Lara Croft Is on the Way
In addition to Jolie and Vikander, Camilla Luddington, Keeley Hawes and Minnie Driver have voiced Lara Croft in a number of Tomb Raider video games. Hayley Atwell, famous for her role as Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is also set to voice the fan-favorite character in an upcoming Netflix anime series. Netflix has not yet set a release date for the series, which is still in development.
In addition to Fleabag, Waller-Bridge was a co-writer on Daniel Craig's final James Bond film, 2021's No Time to Die. (With its acquisition of MGM, Amazon is also the co-owner of the Bond franchise.) Waller-Bridge is also developing a series adaptation of Claudia Lux's book Sign Here for Amazon Prime and was attached to the streamer's Mr. & Mrs. Smith series with Atlanta's Donald Glover before departing the project due to creative differences.
Though Waller-Bridge will not play Lara Croft, the actor's next onscreen role, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny's Helena, is similarly adventurous. The goddaughter of Indiana Jones, Helena has been described by composer John Williams as "an adventuress" and "a femme fatale. She's many, many things." Director James Mangold recently debunked a fan theory suggesting that Helena was the daughter of Marcus Brody, Indy's friend and the British academic and curator portrayed by Denholm Elliott in Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Mangold confirmed that Helena is the daughter of a new addition to the franchise.
Amazon has not set a release date for Waller-Bridge's Tomb Raider series as the project is still in early development.
Source: THR