Tomb Raider Series to Redefine Lara Croft, Ditching Outdated Sex Symbol Image

Another day, another classic game character getting a TV makeover—this time, it’s Lara Croft back in the spotlight. If you’ve ever rolled your eyes at how the Tomb Raider hero ends up as more pin-up than person, Sophie Turner hears you. And apparently, she’s doing something about it.

Sophie Turner Steps Into the Boots

So here’s the deal: Sophie Turner (yes, Sansa Stark, and if you squint, Jean Grey) is taking on the lead in Prime Video’s Tomb Raider series. But don’t expect the video game vixen from the ‘90s or the Maxim-magazine aesthetic the movies always seemed to wink at. In Turner’s own blunt words, Lara this time won’t be some 'sex bombshell.'

What Turner wants to ditch is pretty straightforward: the decades of Lara Croft being treated more like a calendar girl than an actual human being. She laid it all out with The Los Angeles Times, making it clear she’s interested in what motivates Lara, what’s really going on behind those dual pistols and oversized boots—not just her sex appeal. Turner put it this way:

'It’s about her and her story and what drives her, rather than what so many people also love about her, which is how hot she is in the games and the movies. But I really want to show the other side.'

A New Approach—No Shortcuts, More Story

What’s the 'other side'? According to Turner, it’s about showing Lara as unapologetically capable and confident. She’s not interested in sandpapering down Croft’s toughness just to make her more 'relatable'—she wants to lean into Lara’s strengths, not hide them. Basically, if you’re after leather shorts and a wink to the camera, you’re out of luck.

The show’s creative direction seems to back that up, since the series is being written and showrun by Phoebe Waller-Bridge (who created Fleabag and is not exactly shy about writing sharp, complex women). Plot details are tightly under wraps, but it’s pretty clear this Tomb Raider is banking more on character and story than on nostalgia-fueled cosplay.

Context, Cast, and What’s Next

• Sophie Turner will play Lara Croft, promising a more down-to-earth version of the adventurer.
• Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the showrunner, writing the series for Prime Video.
• Turner herself says she actively seeks out roles with real depth (and let’s be honest, she has a few superhero/action miles under her belt already).
• We don’t have an official release date, but Prime Video is currently aiming for a 2027 or 2028 release window.

So if you’re hoping for something more than a nostalgia cash-in—and maybe a Lara Croft who isn’t just running, jumping, and posing—this might be for you. If not, well, there are plenty of old games and movies if you want to revisit the swimwear era.

Bottom line: Prime Video and Sophie Turner want us to care about what makes Lara Croft tick, rather than just how she fills out tank tops. Here’s hoping they pull it off.