Games of Thrones star Sophie Turner is reportedly in negotiations to lead Amazon Prime Video’s upcoming TV adaptation of the popular video game franchise Tomb Raider.
Turner is set to play the role of protagonist Lara Croft in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s new series, according to Deadline. While the deal has not yet been finalized, it’s expected to close soon, according to the outlet.
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Amazon Prime Video declined The Independent’s request for comment.
Fleabag star and creator Waller-Bridge will write and executive produce the show, which was greenlit by Amazon earlier this year. Reports of its development initially broke in January 2023.
Last month, it was reported that Turner was up against Lucy Boynton (Bohemian Rhapsody) for the role. Emma Corrin and Mackenzie Davis were also among the actors on the producer’s wish list, but ultimately they did not screen test for the role, per Deadline.
Turner, 28, who starred as Sansa Stark in HBO’s hit drama Game of Thrones, is the latest in a string of actors to take on the role of the British archaeologist.
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Angelina Jolie first starred as the titular heroine in 2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and 2003’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life. Alicia Vikander later took on the role in Warner Bros’ 2018 Tomb Raider reboot.
Though the latter received middling reviews, Vikander was praised for her portrayal and was expected to return for a sequel. However, MGM lost the rights to Tomb Raider in 2022, and the project disintegrated.
At the time, the rights to the beloved character were part of a bidding war between multiple Hollywood studios, with one source describing it as a “feeding frenzy.”
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Amazon, which later acquired MGM in 2022, is rumored to have purchased the rights to the video game series for $600m.
The new Tomb Raider is part of Waller-Bridge’s $20m-a-year deal with Amazon that she signed in 2019.
When the series was ordered in May, head of Amazon Studios Jennifer Salke teased it as “epic” and “globe-trotting” while also praising Waller-Bridge: “She is clever, brilliant, generous and a virtuoso on multiple fronts including writing, acting and producing.”
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“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,” the Killing Eve creator said.
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