Summary
- Amazon's Tomb Raider TV series is facing production issues, with no progress made in three years.
- Development costs have amounted to tens of millions of dollars, yet there is still no completed script.
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge is attached to the series, but delays may prompt Amazon to consider finding a new writer.
The TV adaptation of the long-running video game franchise, Tomb Raider, is reportedly facing some concerning development issues at Amazon. Starting off its perpetual life in the video game world in 1996, the epic action-adventure starring fearless archaeologist Lara Croft was developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. Initially released on the Sega Saturn, Tomb Raider was then developed for MS-DOS as well as for the PlayStation.
As many gamers will know, Tomb Raider has been a staple in the gaming world for many years now, and even though Croft has changed quite a bit with each release in the series, the daring character has continuously remained an incredible heroine, in which her development has seen many positive alterations, especially regarding her once controversial appearance. With something as popular as Tomb Raider, movie spin-offs were always on the cards. Its most recent live-action adaptation was in 2018, which starred Alicia Vikander, but sadly, the film wasn't a big success at the box office, throwing the future of its adaptations into the wind. Thankfully, in May 2024, Amazon ordered a new live-action Tomb Raider series as part of its deal with game developer Crystal Dynamics with Phoebe Waller-Bridge guiding the ship. However, it seems as though the series is now facing trouble at Prime Video.
Tomb Raider Developer Crystal Dynamics Announces Layoffs
Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics announces layoffs, following an unfortunate trend that has been plaguing the game industry recently.
Prime Video’s Tomb Raider TV Series Might Be In Development Hell
According to a report on Puck by Matthew Belloni, a former editor of The Hollywood Reporter, the Tomb Raider TV adaptation TV series is seemingly struggling behind the scenes, with progress on the series having remained stagnant for three years. Belloni says that Prime Video has paid out tens of millions of dollars on developing the TV show but "still has nothing to show for it." Former Amazon MGM executive Jen Salke, who is no longer with the company, personally oversaw the Tomb Raider project and signed Waller-Bridge for a $20 million-a-year development deal in 2019 but according to the article, the creator of Fleabag has yet to get the series off the ground.
"Still, my favorite Salke move was giving Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the breakout creator of Fleabag, a $20 million-a-year overall deal in 2019. Sure, the TV business is littered with failed overalls, but when Waller-Bridge generated nothing in three years, Salke renewed the deal. Now, three years after that renewal, she still has nothing to show for it. Tomb Raider, which Waller-Bridge has been working on and which Salke was personally overseeing after announcing a series pickup last May, has now gone through two writers rooms and tens of millions of dollars in development costs. There’s still no script."
The TV series has also gone through two writers rooms with still no signs of a completed script. Belloni didn't touch on whether Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner would still star as Lara Croft, but so far, there's no intention that she has left the project and seems to be currently attached. Even though story details for the Tomb Raider series haven't been revealed, the Killing Eve writer seemed very eager to get stuck in as Tomb Raider was a huge part of her life, as Lara Croft meant a lot to her because she had grown up with the character. This news seems surprising since Jen Salke told Variety in October last year that "Phoebe is well into it" when asked about the show's progress. Even amid various delays, including Waller-Bridge going "off to do a movie," Salke said, "we think it’s going to be a huge franchise for us."
It could be that Waller-Bridge's other obligations have eaten into her time with Tomb Raider and the development process is merely taking longer than it should, with things set to pick up again in the immediate future. However, Amazon Prime Video might not want to play the waiting game and could even look to find another writer to head the adaptation. Hopefully, some positive news on the Tomb Raider TV series is peaking over the horizon.
Netflix's Tomb Raider Animated Series Confirmed For Season 2
Netflix has officially renewed Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft for another adventure.
Source: Puck