Amazon’s interest in the legendary Tomb Raider video game franchise has been evident in recent years. Besides backing the development of a new Tomb Raider game by Crystal Dynamics, the tech giant has also been planning a live-action television series centered around the iconic heroine, Lara Croft. Expectations were high, especially following reports that Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner was being considered for the lead role. However, it seems those plans may have fallen apart before genuinely taking shape.
According to a report from The Daily Mail, Amazon has reportedly cancelled the much-anticipated Tomb Raider TV series. This decision comes despite the considerable buzz the project generated in its early stages.
Several key issues are believed to have contributed to the project’s downfall. Chief among them was the delay in the script, which was reportedly being written by Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Her draft is said to have arrived significantly later than scheduled, stalling early production progress. Adding to the complications was a major internal shift at Amazon MGM Studios: the departure of Jennifer Salke, the former head of the studio, who was reportedly one of the project’s strongest champions.
Compounding these challenges, Turner, who was rumored to play Lara Croft, has committed to a packed filming schedule for 2025. Notably, Tomb Raider is nowhere to be seen in her current lineup, making her availability for the project questionable at best. As a result, production, which was previously slated to begin in early 2025, has shown no visible signs of moving forward.
While Amazon has yet to confirm the project’s cancellation officially, all signs appear to point in that direction. There remains a faint possibility that the series is merely postponed indefinitely rather than fully scrapped. Nonetheless, insider sources claim the project has already consumed tens of millions of US dollars, with little to show for it.
Currently, fans of Tomb Raider will have to wait and see whether Lara Croft’s next adventure will find new life—or remain buried in development limbo.
