A Tomb Raider series that follows the events of the video games is in the works at Netflix. The highly successful video game franchise has sold over 81 million copies worldwide with 20 games. The franchise has also spawned three films, two of which starred Angelina Jolie in the titular role. A revival of the film series was released in 2018, starring Academy Award winning actress Alicia Vikander.
A second film starring Vikander is in the works with the director of the HBO series Lovecraft Country in the director's chair. Updates on the sequel had gone cold, but it's finally getting off the ground just as the franchise gears up for a new take on the character. A highly successful video game reboot brought Lara Croft back to life, with Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider, all receiving critical acclaim and success.
The series will ride off that success and act as a sequel to the rebooted trilogy. The anime series picks up after the last game's events, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and finds the iconic adventurer exploring new territory. Details are otherwise scarce on the show, with Netflix not providing an expected release date or any hints as to the show's cast.
An animated series is an exciting prospect for the franchise. They won't be hindered by real-world filming limitations and will be able to explore the most extreme of Lara Croft's adventures in a way that the films have failed to do. Jolie's pair of films premiered in the early 2000s, and the special effects, while okay for the era, have not aged well. Similarly, the Vikander led film is a grounded take on the character grounded in real-world dynamics. The animated show will break out of that and explore the more outlandish aspects of the franchise.
The debate about which Tomb Raider adaptation is the definitive version will continue to rage on with the new series. It's too early to tell how the anime series will fare, but the franchise has continued to be popular through all of its iterations, including comics, merchandising, and various films. At least fans finally have the answer as to what Lara Croft will do after that Shadow of the Tomb Raider ending. More adventures for the heroine are on the horizon. She will be exploring exciting new territory with the television show, which is more akin to the Tomb Raider video games' longer format than the two-hour films.
Source: Netflix