Tomb Raider is the next videogame-based series coming to Prime
Rumors of a Tomb Raider series first surfaced more than a year ago, and now Amazon has made it official.
The Tomb Raider series that was first rumored more than a year ago is now official: Hot on the heels of its hit Fallout show, Prime Video has formally unveiled plans for a new series based on the Tomb Raider games.
The new series will be written and produced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, known as the creator of the comedy series Fleabag and the original showrunner and head writer of Killing Eve; she's also an actor, appearing in films and television shows including Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Solo: A Star Wars story as the voice of L3-37.
As for who will follow in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander to portray Lara Croft in the series, that remains a mystery for now.
"With great IP, the possibilities are endless," Amazon Games vice president Christoph Hartmann said. "The richness and depth of the fiction allows the Tomb Raider series from Prime Video and the videogame from Amazon Games to tell separate stories about Lara Croft’s adventures. We’re honored that Crystal Dynamics has entrusted Amazon with this iconic franchise, and we’re looking forward to seeing where this collaboration takes us."
That is certainly the sort of thing you say in a low-info corporate press release, and I don't think I would personally describe the Tomb Raider narrative as either rich or deep. But the success of the Fallout series earns Amazon some benefit of the doubt on that front. Fallout is an inherently more interesting setting, but the looser strictures of Tomb Raider, which isn't quite so tightly shackled to its game world and the demands that arise from that canon, should afford Waller-Bridge and company more room to be creatively flexible.
As for when we'll learn how that bit of speculation holds up, there is currently no indication: Amazon said only that it will be exclusive to Prime Video (no surprise there) and that "we look forward to sharing more about both projects as they progress." That "both projects" reference is a reminder that Amazon Games is also publishing the next Tomb Raider game, "a single-player, narrative-driven adventure that will add a new chapter to Lara Croft’s story in the Tomb Raider series." There's no word on when it will be out, either.