Sophie Turner Steps into the Role of Lara Croft in the Upcoming Tomb Raider Series

From left: Sophie Turner as Lara Croft; and ‘Tomb Raider’ video game.
Credit :

Jay Maidment/Prime; ArcadeImages / Alamy Stock Photo

NEED TO KNOW

• Sophie Turner is leading a new Tomb Raider series created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
• On January 15, Prime Video announced that production had begun and released the first image of Turner as the iconic video game character, Lara Croft.
• Sigourney Weaver and Jason Isaacs will also star in the TV adaptation.

Sophie Turner is stepping into the role of video game heroine Lara Croft. On January 15, Prime Video unveiled the first look at Turner, 29, as the iconic archaeologist and adventurer from the Tomb Raider franchise.

Turner will lead the new television adaptation, created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. In the released image, she sports Croft’s signature attire, which includes red sunglasses, shorts, a tank top, and a gun holstered at her thigh.

Production for the series has officially commenced, according to the announcement from Prime Video.

“I’ve been a long-time fan of Tomb Raider and the character of Lara,” Turner stated. “She has always felt to me very emboldened in a male-dominated world. She’s a fierce female role model!”

Sophie Turner as Lara Croft.

Jay Maidment/Prime

Joining Turner are well-known actors Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, and Celia Imrie. Weaver, 76, will portray Evelyn Wallis, a high-flying character intent on capitalizing on Lara’s skills. Isaacs, 62, will take on the role of Lara’s uncle, Atlas DeMornay, while Imrie, 73, is set to play Francine, the Head of Advancement at the British Museum, focused on fundraising and champagne.

When the series was announced in May 2024, Waller-Bridge expressed her excitement, stating, “If I could tell my teenage self this was happening, I think she’d explode. 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.”

Waller-Bridge added, “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.”

When Turner was first cast, Waller-Bridge described her as “formidable,” emphasizing that the entire team is wildly passionate about the character, sharing her outrageous, brave, and humorous spirit.

Turner acknowledged the legacy of previous portrayals by Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander, stating, “I have massive shoes to fill, following in their powerhouse performances. But with Phoebe at the helm, we (and Lara) are all in very safe hands.”

From left: Sophie Turner; and Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft.

Jay Maidment/Prime; Alex Bailey/Paramount

Additionally, the cast includes Martin Bobb-Semple, Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Bill Paterson, Paterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, Juliette Motamed, and August Wittgenstein, described by Waller-Bridge as “beyond my wildest dreams.”

Bobb-Semple, 28, will portray Zip, Lara’s tech support and friend. Paterson takes on the role of Winston, the Croft family butler, while Bannon, 34, will play Gerry, Lara’s personal pilot. Heffernan, 44, will depict David, an exhausted government official drawn into Lara’s unusual world.

Joseph, 61, joins as Thomas Warner, tasked with rectifying a significant mess, and Motamed plays Georgia, a curator at the British Museum dedicated to preserving history properly. Luss, 33, and Wittgenstein, 44, will present new challenges for Lara; Luss as Sasha, a fierce competitor, and Wittgenstein as Lukas, an illegal raider intertwined with Lara’s past.