Amazon Prime Video is doubling down on blockbuster franchises with its latest project: a Tomb Raider TV series headlined by Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner.
The show, which enters production in January 2026, is being written and produced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, creator of Fleabag. It marks the first major release from her multi-million-dollar deal with Amazon, announced in 2019, signaling the platform’s strategy to secure high-profile creative talent and globally recognized properties.
Turner, best known for her role as Sansa Stark and later Jean Grey in the X-Men films, will play iconic adventurer Lara Croft, a character Amazon executives describe as “one of the most recognizable and iconic video game characters of all time.” Lara was first introduced in 1996 by Core Design, later brought to life in Hollywood by Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander.
“Landing Tomb Raider is a major win for Amazon,” said Vernon Sanders, head of global television at Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios. “This character has international recognition and fits squarely into our ambition to deliver epic, global franchises.”
The series comes as streaming platforms intensify competition for franchises with built-in audiences. Amazon has already invested heavily in The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Fallout, and sees Tomb Raider as another anchor to attract subscribers and solidify its brand as a home for cinematic-scale television.
Waller-Bridge praised Turner as “formidable” and said the creative team, including co-showrunner Chad Hodge (Wayward Pines) and director Jonathan Van Tulleken (Shōgun), is “wildly passionate about Lara.”
Turner acknowledged the pressure of taking on the role, saying: “They’re massive shoes to fill, following Angelina and Alicia, but with Phoebe at the helm, Lara is in very safe hands.”
For Amazon, the series is more than a star vehicle—it’s a strategic move to expand into action-adventure IP and compete with rivals like Netflix, which has scored hits with game adaptations such as The Witcher and Arcane.
