Tomb Raider Series From Indiana Jones 5 Star Happening
While the Tomb Raider series of video games has been captivating players for decades, film adaptations of have been decidedly hit or miss. However, with all the adroit dexterity of franchise star Lara Craft dodging an oncoming boulder, the franchise adaptations are pivoting away from films (at least, for the moment).
Instead, we will be getting a Tomb Raider television series on Prime Video courtesy of Fleabag star and creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge As Lara Croft
News about possible series development first broke in January 2023. Now, Amazon has officially ordered the Tomb Raider show to series, and one possible good sign for fans is the passion of the showrunner.
In short, nobody seems more hyped about the possibility of this upcoming Tomb Raider show than Phoebe Waller-Bridge herself.
“If I could tell my teenage self this was happening I think she’d explode,” she said in an earlier statement. “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.”
Sounding like a true fangirl, the prolific TV and film star noted that “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.”
Lara Croft In Tomb Raider
If the bit about bats made no sense to you, then chances are you’ve never experienced the Tomb Raider series of games for yourself.
While protagonist Lara Croft raids the titular tombs, she has to fight off a wide variety of human and inhuman foes.
The most persistent of the inhuman foes are the bats, weak enemies who, nonetheless, can distract and overwhelm careless players.
Compared To Fallout?
That winking joke from Waller-Bridge is her way of telling Tomb Raider superfans that she is one of them and that, presumably, she plans to incorporate many familiar elements from the games into the upcoming series.
That’s particularly important because this show will inevitably get compared to Amazon’s hit Fallout series. Fallout is obviously a labor of love from creators who deeply love the games, and based on Waller-Bridge’s comments, Tomb Raider has a similar passion behind it.
Match The Vibes Of The Game?
Another reason to imagine that the Tomb Raider series will closely match the vibe of the games is that the show is a collaboration between Amazon MGM Studios and Crystal Dynamics, the game studio behind Lara Croft’s assorted game titles.
Crystal Dynamics studio head Scot Amos expressed excitement that collaborating with both Amazon MGM Studios and Amazon Games has allowed the game company “to expand our Tomb Raider franchise with multiple new adventures and a shared passion for creating impactful, entertaining, emotional experiences for players and viewers throughout every facet of this universe.”
Low On Details
In addition to the upcoming Tomb Raider TV series, this collaborative force is working on an upcoming video game.
Details are scarce, but we know that it’s another single-player Tomb Raider game with the “narrative-driven action-adventure” design that has been winning players over since the first game came out back in 1996.
There is always a chance that the game will connect to the series in one or more ways, but so far, no such connections have been announced.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge Action Experience
While Dial of Destiny was divisive, it’s worth noting Phoebe Waller-Bridge now has extensive experience bringing an Indiana Jones film to life.
Tomb Raider has always been heavily inspired by the adventures of Harrison Ford’s unconventional archeologist, and the actor’s experience may very well help her give the Tomb Raider TV series the feel of a good Indiana Jones tale.
Hopefully, the show proves to be a success: considering that Amazon paid Waller-Bridge $60 million and she has produced very little content for them, execs are likely hoping this new show leads to some Fallout levels of what Indy himself would call “fortune and glory.”
Source: Variety
