Sophie Turner tapped to lead Amazon Prime Video’s Tomb Raider as Lara Croft

The live-action series is set to begin production in January

The Lara Croft: Tomb Raider reboot has found its leading lady in Sophie Turner.

The new live-action series — a remake of the 2000s film, which featured Angelina Jolie as the titular video game character — will begin production in January 2026 with Amazon MGM Studios. The movie will be produced by Fleabag’s Phoebe Waller-Bridge as part of her $20 million-a-year deal with Amazon.

Now, the new series is building its cast, with Waller-Bridge announcing Wednesday that Turner is stepping into Lara Croft’s combat boots.

“I’m so excited to announce the formidable Sophie Turner as our Lara alongside this phenomenal creative team,” she said in a statement shared by Variety. “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…”

Turner also celebrated the news, noting that she was “thrilled beyond measure to be playing Lara Croft.” She also applauded those who came before her, including Jolie and Alicia Vikander, who played Croft in the 2018 Tomb Raider adaptation.

Sophie Turner will begin filming the Tomb Raider adaptation in January (Getty Images)

“[Croft’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,” the Game of Thrones alum added.

“I can’t wait for you all to see what we have cooking.”

Along with Waller-Bridge, the new show will feature Chad Hodge as executive producer and co-showrunner, and Jonathan van Tulleken as director and executive producer.

In addition to Amazon Studios, the program is produced by Story Kitchen and Crystal Dynamics. The series is also part of a pact with Crystal Dynamics and Amazon MGM Studios, in which the latter agreed to develop additional Tomb Raider stories into series and films, according to Variety.

“We are thrilled to have the wonderfully talented Sophie Turner bring this character to life who is defined by her courage, strength, and unshakable resolve,” Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, said. “Led by the brilliant Phoebe Waller-Bridge, this series will honor the beloved Tomb Raider legacy while delivering fresh adventures to fans worldwide.”

The casting news comes after Vikander spoke about the cancellation of a sequel to the 2018 Tomb Raider film in which she starred. During a September 2024 interview as part of The Independent’s series “Go to Bat,” in which stars discuss their most underrated credits, Vikander expressed confusion over the situation.

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When The Independent said they “were sad” Vikander won’t be returning to the role, the actor replied: “Me too!”

Vikander said she would have “of course” returned for Tomb Raider 2 should the project have moved forward, adding: “I had so much fun.”

The film received middling reviews from critics, and it earned a lackluster $275 million at the global box office, but Vikander received a large amount of praise for the role, so much so that a sequel was on the horizon with the Swedish star set to return.

However, when Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studio lost the rights to Tomb Raider, the sequel to the 2018 film disintegrated, meaning a confused Vikander suddenly lost the chance to return as Croft.