Sophie Turner has officially transformed into Lara Croft.
Prime Video unveiled the first look at Turner, 29, dressed as the video game heroine for her new Tomb Raider series on Thursday, January 15. The photo shows the actress dressed in one of Lara’s famous looks: a green tank top, black shorts, red sunglasses, a backpack and a gun strapped to her thigh. She even sported the fictional archaeologist’s signature braided hair.
Along with the photo, the streamer announced that production had begun on the TV adaptation, created by Fleabag‘s Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
“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, 40, said in a statement when the series was greenlit in May 2024.
She continued, “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.”
Turner is set to star in Tomb Raider alongside Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Martin Bobb-Semple, Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Bill Paterson, Paterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, Juliette Motamed, Celia Imrie and August Wittgenstein.
The Tomb Raider series, based on the video game franchise that began in 1996, follows archaeologist and adventurer Lara as she explores ancient ruins for artifacts while solving puzzles and fighting off enemies.
“I’ve been a long-time fan of Tomb Raider and the character of Lara,” Turner said in a statement. “She has always felt for me, very emboldened in a male-dominated world. She’s a fierce female role model!”
Angelina Jolie Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection
Waller-Bridge called Turner a “formidable” choice to play Lara, adding, “Everyone on board is wildly passionate about Lara and are all as outrageous, brave, and hilarious as she is.”
The Tomb Raider franchise has already featured other adaptations, with Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander previously taking on the character of Lara. Turner said when she was cast that she has “massive shoes to fill” in the wake of their “powerhouse performances.”
“But with Phoebe at the helm, we (and Lara) are all in very safe hands,” she added.
During a recent appearance on SiriusXM’s The Julia Cunningham Show, Turner revealed that she underwent intense training to prepare for her role as Lara.
“We’ve been doing eight hours a day, five days a week since February last year of training, so it’s been a lot,” she explained. “I’ve learned I have a perpetual back problem, but I also realized that it’s much easier to kind of build muscle if you’ve ever worked out before in your life, which I never had, so it has taken me months and months and months to get into good shape.”
Turner also admitted that her past role as Sansa Stark on HBO’s Game of Thrones did little to prepare her for the intensity of playing Lara Croft.
“I was the cool queen who, like, didn’t have to do that,” she said of her GoT character. “I also just kind of was the one that got beat up, not the one doing the beating. So, it’s quite nice to learn how to throw a punch and not just take it.”
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