Amazon announced in December that it had reached an agreement under which Crystal Dynamics will develop a new multiplatform Tomb Raider title, with Amazon Games providing full support and publishing the game globally, but the company’s plans for Lara Croft appear to go much further. According to sources with The Hollywood Reporter, Amazon is planning to turn Tomb Raider into a Marvel-like franchise with multiple projects, including not only a TV series led by Emmy winner Phoebe Waller-Bridge, but also a new feature movie, all of which will be interconnected. Details on the latter are light, but the money that Amazon has set aside for its Tomb Raider universe is reportedly only second to what it spent on The Lord of the Rings.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
The idea is to build out a connected world of Tomb Raider, with the video game, TV series and film all interconnected in a fashion akin to what Marvel has already accomplished. The Tomb Raider video game was announced in December, with additional games in the franchise considered likely.
One source with knowledge of the pact described it as being among the largest commitments at Amazon after Lord of the Rings. By comparison, Amazon is estimated to have spent $250 million on rights alone to Lord of the Rings, with that deal covering a multiple-season show (The Rings of Power) as well as spinoffs.
While Waller-Bridge is attached to write the script for the Tomb Raider TV series — as THR exclusively reported — the Fleabag Emmy winner is not involved in the film or the game. Waller-Bridge is said to be a big Tomb Raider fan and was eager to be involved with the TV series, though she is not currently attached to star in the project that has a series greenlight built into the larger Tomb Raider rights deal. Her involvement in the Tomb Raider series stems from her recently renewed overall deal with Amazon.