Tomb Raider TV show release: Cast, plot, and more for Lara Croft’s new small-screen adventure

Tomb Raider is coming to your TV screen, and it may be sooner than you think. First announced in 2024, the show, co-showrun by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, known for Fleabag, and Chad Hodge, is set to debut on Amazon Prime. Sophie Turner is in the lead role as Lara Croft, and part of the internet almost exploded in mid January 2026, with a photo being released of her in full costume to mark the start of filming.

What made it exciting was that she was dressed as Lara from the original games, first developed by Core Design. This means that there could be some plot points or witty lines in the show inspired by the first six games. With two games confirmed, it feels like Lara’s back in more ways than one. With this in mind, here’s everything we know about the Tomb Raider TV show so far.

The Escapist recaps

• The Tomb Raider TV show is being co-developed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, known for Fleabag, and will eventually debut on Amazon Prime.
• The series is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, with current developer, Crystal Dynamics hinting that it has more plans to celebrate the milestone birthday.
• Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is a remake of 1996’s Tomb Raider, originally developed by Core Design, which is coming out later this year.
•  Tomb Raider: Catalyst is the next mainline entry, coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series S/X in 2027.

Tomb Raider TV Show: Cast

January 2026 revealed plenty about who was playing who for the upcoming Tomb Raider TV show, in addition to Sophie Turner playing Lara Croft:

• Bill Paterson plays Winston
• Martin Bobb-Semple plays Zip
• Jason Isaacs plays Atlas DeMornay
• Jack Bannon plays Gerry
• John Heffernan plays David
• Celia Imrie plays Francine
• Paterson Joseph plays Thomas Warner
• Sasha Luss plays Sasha
• Juliette Motamed plays Georgia
• Sigourney Weaver plays Evelyn Wallis
• August Wittgenstein plays Lukas

The casting is impressive, with Winston the Butler, a character not seen in decades, finally making his live-action debut. In addition, Zip, someone who first appeared in 2000’s Tomb Raider Chronicles, is a welcome surprise. With Sigourney Weaver playing Evelyn Wallis, we can’t help but think this character is infact Natla, the antagonist from the very first Tomb Raider game. Nevertheless, it’s a strong lineup so far for the TV show.

Does the Tomb Raider TV show have a release date?

The current release date of the show is unknown, but Amazon is known to have a pretty swift turnaround when it comes to making shows – Fallout Season 2 comes to mind. But with this year being the 30th anniversary of Tomb Raider’s debut on the Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation, and PC, we wouldn’t be surprised to see the series arrive in early 2027.

Tomb Raider TV Show: Plot

The plot of the Tomb Raider TV show is unknown, but Waller-Bridge is excited about how the cast will define how the show will go. “Tomb Raider boasts a plethora of iconic characters,” said co-showrunner Phoebe Waller-Bridge on Amazon’s press page. “I am thrilled to have been able to bring some personal and fan favourites to the screen while also introducing a few new rascals of our own to the mix. This cast is beyond my wildest dreams!”

However, descriptions of some characters, like Sigourney Weaver’s Evelyn Wallis, can’t help but make us think that characters from some games in the series may appear here

Is there a Tomb Raider TV Show trailer yet?

As of January 2026, there is no trailer as the series has only just begun filming. However, with October 24 being the release of the very first Tomb Raider game, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a tease of the series around then, once a chunk of filming has been done. Also, with February 14th being Lara’s date of birth, it’s not too much of a stretch to see something then, such as another photo.

Analysis: All signs are positive

When I first heard that a Tomb Raider TV show was in the works, I was hesitant. Frankly, I didn’t enjoy the movies. In the 2018 movie, average names like ‘Trinity’, boring plots about Lara finding her parents, and much more, never worked for me. However, Phoebe Waller-Bridge heading up this TV show gives me hope.

She was responsible for adding some fun to Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond in 2021’s No Time to Die, enhancing Paloma’s role with some great one-liners. To see that applied to Turner’s take on Lara Croft, as well as the whole series, gives me hope. For too long now, the games have been too serious, with a narrative on Lara ‘becoming the Tomb Raider’, which has always felt far too cheesy to me.

To put back in some British wit, seen aplenty in the earlier Tomb Raider games, would give the show something long overdue for me. Seeing Lara run, shoot, and say some quips throughout the series would be great, and perfectly matches up with Turner’s look.

For now, I live in hope that this Tomb Raider TV show will offer plenty of fun and humor, something that I’ve been wanting to see for so long. If Waller-Bridge builds on what she did in No Time to Die with Lara, we could be seeing one of the best game-to-TV adaptations in years.

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References

1. Tomb Raider’ cast on Prime Video series starring Sophie Turner (Amazon News)
2. Shadow of the Tomb Raider (PlayStation Store)
3. Tomb Raider 2 – All Cutscenes and FMVs in HD 1080p (YouTube)