Prime Video’s “Tomb Raider” series has seemingly found its Lara Croft in “Game of Thrones” veteran Sophie Turner, according to a report from Deadline.
At the end of October, the same outlet released an initial exclusive saying that Turner was a top choice to play the titular tomb raider alongside Lucy Boynton (“Bohemian Rhapsody,” “The Pale Blue Eye”), with Emma Corrin (“The Crown”) and Mackenzie Davis (“Station Eleven”) also potentially in the running. Now, it seems as if the show, which is being spearheaded by “Fleabag” creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, may have settled on its lead actor.
If this comes to fruition, Turner certainly has big shoes to fill — she would join Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander as the only other two performers to play Lara Croft in live-action. It’s important to make this abundantly clear: the report says that Turner is “in negotiations,” so this bit of casting still isn’t official just yet. I also anticipate some pushback on this, to be honest. Hayley Atwell voiced the character in the 2024 series “Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft,” so some fans might feel like the role should have gone to the Marvel Cinematic Universe alumnus. Other fan-castings that have made their rounds online include performers like Daisy Ridley and Jodie Comer. I don’t think we should dismiss Turner so quickly, though. If she books this role, she definitely has the acting chops to make Lara Croft her own.
Sophie Turner is the new Lara Croft (and that’s a good thing)
Sorry, naysayers: Sophie Turner does have what it takes to take over the role of Lara Croft, and her series-long role as Sansa Stark on “Game of Thrones” is the first piece of crucial evidence I’ll provide. Yes, Sansa is annoying when the show starts — all she wants to do is marry the odious incest-baby Prince Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) and be his “queen,” but when Sansa finds out who Joffrey really is, she wises up pretty quickly. (She finds this out the hard way in that he beheads her father, Sean Bean’s Ned Stark, in front of her and an assembled crowd.) Sansa gets really capable really fast, using wordplay and quick thinking to outwit Joffrey (usually by insulting him to his face) and navigating the shark tank that is King’s Landing with more ease as she ages and learns.
“Game of Thrones” puts Sansa through wringer — and assassinates her character at the end of the show to boot — but nobody can deny that Turner’s performance didn’t get stronger and stronger with each season. The projects she’s chosen since, including an incredibly funny cameo in Netflix’s 2022 movie “Do Revenge,” the HBO drama “The Staircase,” and the ITV series “Joan,” show that she’s looking for more variety as she moves forward, and I genuinely think she’d surprise everyone as a great Lara Croft. This is still officially unconfirmed, though, so if you want to revisit Turner’s turn as Sansa, “Game of Thrones” is streaming on Max now.