Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft showrunner explains new Lara Croft

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is an upcoming Netflix anime that takes place after the events of the ‘Survivor Trilogy’ which concluded with 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider and I had the opportunity to speak with writer and showrunner, Tasha Huo.

Despite being stronger and wiser, Lara Croft still has demons to confront before she is to evolve into the badass, duel-wielding globetrotter that we know her to be. However, in the Netflix series, Camilla Luddington is no longer the voice of Lara from the ‘Survivor Trilogy’. We are now in a new era of the franchise with Hayley Attwell, previously of the MCU landing the iconic role in the Netflix series.

Check out Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft trailer below

It’s an interesting choice to replace Camilla Luddington with Hayley Atwell, one that will likely raise a few eyebrows with the fanbase. “I love Hayley Atwell. I think she's an incredible actress and she has this amazing mix of dramatic force and comedic timing, which is exactly who Lara is,” Huo says with a beaming smile.

What Tasha said next was very interesting and while it was not an outright confirmation, could she perhaps be hinting that Hayley Atwell is the new voice of Lara Croft in the video game series?

“We're sort of moving Lara of the ‘Survivor Trilogy’ into the Lara of old, who was very funny and quippy,” explains Tasha. “I think Haley defines that stage of Lara’s life. I’m just very grateful that Hayley Atwell said yes because I think she encapsulates Lara perfectly.”

Current developers, Crystal Dynamics, took charge of the series with Tomb Raider: Legend in 2006 and since that time, the series has arguably been taken to new heights and will continue to remain in charge going forward with a new game being developed using Unreal Engine 5.

“I worked closely with Crystal Dynamics because we wanted this to be a canonical show. It was important to not necessarily get their approval but rather their blessing,” says Huo. “It’s a very delicate stage going from Survivor to classic Lara.”

“We had the trust of Crystal Dynamics, especially when they saw how much of a fan I am of Tomb Raider. However, the most important aspect of the collaboration was how aligned we were. It was awesome to work with them and get their blessing on how we saw Lara Croft.”

At the time of writing, it’s been six years since the release of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, so there will be fans introduced to Lara Croft for the very first time, and of course, there will be plenty of veteran fans looking forward to the Netflix series too.

“My objective with the show is to not only make existing fans very happy but also those who have never seen Lara Croft before. I want Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft to be accessible for all and for everyone to realise how fun this franchise is. One of the best feelings would be knowing if someone watched this anime and decided to play a Tomb Raider game for the very first time.”

All episodes of Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft will premiere on Netflix on 10 October 2024.