A Tomb Raider TV series in the works from Emmy-winning writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, and now two names have surfaced for who could play the lead role of Lara Croft.
Deadline reported that Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner and Bohemian Rhapsody’s Lucy Boynton are on the “wishlist” to play the role. The site said they have not auditioned yet but are among those being seriously considered for the part.
Oscar-winner Angelina Jolie played the role of Lara Croft in multiple Tomb Raider movies over the years, while another Academy Award-winner, Alicia Vikander, portrayed Lara Croft in 2018’s Tomb Raider.
Deadline said the audition process for the new Tomb Raider show has been “shrouded in secrecy,” and noted that the casting process to find Lara Croft could be “one of the hottest TV casting searches” of the fall season. The site also reported that Deadpool & Wolverine’s Emma Corrin and Station Eleven’s Mackenzie Davis are on the wishlist but “are not believed to be testing” for the role.
No other names were mentioned in the report, but it’s likely there are more actors being considered for the part.
The Tomb Raider TV series is being made for Prime Video, whose owner, Amazon, is also publishing the next Tomb Raider game from Crystal Dynamics. This new game is not connected to the series.
Waller-Bridge is best known for creating the TV series Fleabag and writing and producing the show Killing Eve. She played Helena in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and was brought on to help improve the script for the James Bond movie No Time to Die.
“There’s so much I can incorporate,” Waller-Bridge previously said about her past experiences with Indiana Jones and James Bond. “I mean, the character of Lara Croft was inspired by Indiana Jones and James Bond. So there’s so much, and it just felt like the perfect final step in my own personal adventure through this kind of franchise world.”
2018’s Tomb Raider movie made $275 million worldwide and is among the highest-grossing video game movies of all time. Plans were in place for Vikander to come back for a sequel, but the situation got muddied up when Amazon bought out MGM.