Sophie Turner has been tapped to play Lara Croft in an upcoming streaming adaptation of Tomb Raider and a source exclusively tells Life & Style the Game of Thrones alum is throwing herself into the project and giving it everything she has to try to top the original actress who brought the character to life almost 25 years ago, Angelina Jolie.
Amazon greenlit the Tomb Raider television series earlier this year, but the insider, who is familiar with the project on the streaming giant’s side, dishes, “This show is a little further along than has been reported in the press so far and some of the scripts that have come in are so good you could just break them out and turn them into full blown blockbuster movies on their right.”
With anticipation building, the production company isn’t cutting any corners to make sure it doesn’t fall flat, as video game adaptations have been hit or miss recently. “It’s going to be a cool show,” the source assures. “It’s going to be gritty and violent and it’s going to please the old school fans of the property.”
Phoebe Waller-Bridge will be heading the project as writer and producer and the lead role has finally been given to Sophie, 29, after a few months of rumors swirling around casting.
“Sophie is going to town with the training for this movie, and she’s already extremely experienced with screen combat, stunts, and extreme costumes and special effects, thanks to her years in the Game of Thrones and X-Men universes,” the insider adds. “But she’s getting into even better shape for this job, and sharpening all of her skill sets.”
The original Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie released in 2001 to huge acclaim, especially of star Angie’s portrayal of the titular action hero. In an interview given around the time of the movie’s release, the Salt actress discussed the brutal preparation phase she endured before taking on the role.
“It was two and a half months of tough training. I had just wrapped a period piece, August’s Original Sin, and I was drinking wine and smoking cigarettes and having a great time,” she said. “Then I got to the Tomb Raider set and the great adventure began. They had me on bungees.”
Without a doubt, Sophie is taking notes from Angie’s prep. “She absolutely loves what Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander did with their films, but she wants to equal that work and, over the course of many years-slash-seasons, top it,” the source adds. “Sophie is actually the first English actress to play Lara Croft in live action. That’s a big deal and Sophie knows that gives her a special edge compared to Angelina and Alicia.”
The news of Sophie’s casting and hard work came on the heels of some troubling gossip regarding the state of the project. A different source told Daily Mail the project was “not going ahead,” though neither Amazon nor producer Phoebe has said anything to confirm that.
The first source assures that, if the production is still greenlit, “Sophie will bring the action.”
