There's something beautifully cyclical about watching Sophie Turner step from the frozen battlements of Winterfell into the sun-baked ruins where Lara Croft does her thing. Both characters—Sansa Stark and the legendary tomb raider—know a thing or two about survival. About emerging from impossible circumstances with more steel in their spine than when they started.
Turner's casting, confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, feels like the kind of move that makes perfect sense once you hear it, even if you didn't see it coming. She beat out a formidable lineup—Mackenzie Davis, Emma Mackey, Lucy Boynton—each bringing their own flavor of badass to the audition room. But Turner… there's something about her that suggests she's been preparing for this role without knowing it.
“I am thrilled beyond measure to be playing Lara Croft,” Turner said, and you can almost hear the relief in that statement. After the X-Men debacle—Dark Phoenix was supposed to be her franchise ticket, instead it became her franchise funeral—she's been floating between interesting but smaller projects. The Staircase, Joan, that delicious turn in Do Revenge. Good work, all of it. But nothing that screamed “movie star.” Nothing that felt like destiny.
This feels like destiny.
The Phoebe Waller-Bridge Factor
Here's where things get interesting—and by interesting, I mean “holy shit, this might actually work.” Phoebe Waller-Bridge isn't just creating and co-showrunning this thing; she's bringing her particular brand of controlled chaos to a character who's spent decades being… well, let's be honest, a bit one-note on screen.
Angelina Jolie's Lara was all attitude and acrobatics. Effective, sure—Tomb Raider (2001) made bank—but emotionally? About as deep as a puddle in the Sahara. Alicia Vikander's 2018 attempt tried to course-correct with more vulnerability, more origin story beats. It was… fine. Forgettable fine. The kind of fine that gets a sequel canceled.
But Waller-Bridge? The woman who turned a assassin android into a meditation on loneliness and gave us a priest who made celibacy seem genuinely tragic? She's not going to settle for fine.
“Everyone on board is wildly passionate about Lara and are all as outrageous, brave, and hilarious as she is,” Waller-Bridge said, and that word—hilarious—tells you everything about where this is headed. Lara Croft has never been funny. She's been quippy, sure. Sarcastic in that video game protagonist way. But actually funny? That's new territory.
The Turner Renaissance
Let's talk about what Turner brings to this. Because after eight seasons of Game of Thrones, we know she can do the transformation thing. Remember early Sansa? That naive girl who believed in songs and princes? Turner didn't just age with that character—she deepened her. Made her smarter, harder, more calculating. By the end, Sansa Stark was playing chess while everyone else was playing checkers.
That's the Turner this project needs. Not the action hero Turner (though she'll need to bulk up for the physical stuff—and she will). The psychological Turner. The one who can sell Lara Croft as someone who chooses danger not because she's fearless, but because she's afraid of standing still.
Production starts January 19, 2026. Jonathan Van Tulleken directing, Chad Hodge co-showrunning with Waller-Bridge. That's a solid team—Tulleken's got those moody, atmospheric chops from his Sherlock and Black Mirror work. This isn't going to be a generic action romp.
The Franchise Phoenix
The timing here is crucial. Amazon's betting big on this—they ordered the series in May 2024 after the film rights situation got messy and Vikander's sequel died in development hell. Multiple delays, casting speculation, the usual Hollywood chaos. But now? With Turner locked, production dated, and Waller-Bridge's vision crystallizing? This feels like a property finally finding its footing.
The video game franchise has been evolving too. The 2013 reboot trilogy took Lara from untouchable archaeologist to vulnerable survivor, and that emotional progression gives any adaptation a roadmap. Not that Waller-Bridge needs one—she's probably already thrown it out and written something twice as good.
What This Means
For Turner, this is the reset button she's been needing. Post-Thrones, her career's been… searching. Looking for that next big thing while trying on different sizes of projects. Trust bombed. The streaming work's been solid but safe. This? This is the swing-for-the-fences moment.
For the franchise? Maybe this is how Lara Croft finally becomes more than just a collection of iconic moments and impressive stunts. Maybe Waller-Bridge's “outrageous, brave, and hilarious” version is the one that sticks.
For us? We get to watch Sophie Turner—who spent a decade learning how to embody strength without losing humanity—take on one of entertainment's most enduring but underserved characters. With a creator who doesn't know how to write boring television behind her.
That's… that's not nothing. That might actually be something special.
What You Should Know About Amazon's Tomb Raider Reboot
Sophie Turner Beat Serious Competition
Mackenzie Davis, Emma Mackey, and Lucy Boynton were all in the running, making Turner's casting feel earned rather than inevitable.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge Is the Secret Weapon
The Fleabag and Killing Eve creator promises a version of Lara that's “outrageous, brave, and hilarious”—adjectives never applied to previous adaptations.
Production Starts January 2026
After multiple delays, the series finally has a concrete start date with Jonathan Van Tulleken directing and executive producing.
This Replaces the Canceled Film Sequel
Alicia Vikander's 2018 Tomb Raider follow-up was scrapped in favor of this television approach.
Turner's Career Pivot Moment
After Game of Thrones ended and Dark Phoenix flopped, this could be the franchise role that defines her next chapter.
Are you ready to see Sansa Stark trade her crown for climbing gear? Because honestly, after everything we've seen Turner survive on screen, ancient death traps might feel like a vacation.
