Few videogame characters are as iconic as Lara Croft, aka Tomb Raider. In fact, I still remember my dad playing Tomb Raider II, released in 1997, on the stationary family computer. I also remember when it was announced that Angelina Jolie would be diving into the role in 2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, and the sequel, 2003’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life. At ages seven and nine, I thought both films were pretty awesome. Upon a more recent viewing, however, I can confirm that my initial, prepubescent review has altered quite a bit.
Then in 2018, fresh off her Oscar win for The Danish Girl, Sweden’s Alicia Vikander took on the role of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider. Now the character had been played by two separate Oscar winners – so why did that one suck, too?
As this summer’s disastrous The Borderlands, and the quickly forgotten Uncharted proved, adapting a beloved video game for the big screen is easier said than done, no matter how many Oscar winners you throw at it (two time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett didn’t come close to saving the former). But how come? Halo and Fallout have both received television adaptations, both of which have been lauded by the critics and fans alike. Does that mean TV is the only successful avenue for video games? If so, then Tomb Raider clearly got the memo, and their fourth attempt at an adaptation will not be on the silver screen, but in the form of an animated series on Netflix.
From the first frame, one is instantly reminded of Netflix’s recent, very successful animated series Blue Eye Samurai, and one can only assume the streaming giant used the success of that show as a blueprint to greenlit this latest Tomb Raider reboot. In fact, apparently early reactions of the show have been so positive that a second season has already been approved and is now in the works. Interesting.
The series will release on October 10, 2024, and one can only hope that the 4th time is the charm.
Fingers crossed.
