Oh look, another attempt at resurrecting Lara Croft for the small screen—because Hollywood apparently hasn’t gotten the memo that video game adaptations still have a hit-or-miss record that’s about as reliable as my Wi-Fi during a thunderstorm.
The first batch of set photos from the upcoming *Tomb Raider* TV show has emerged, and much to everyone’s surprise, Sophie Turner is not just cosplaying as Lara Croft—she’s apparently channeling her inner action hero, complete with the classic Croft aesthetic: tactical vest, cargo pants, and yes, those iconic dual pistols strapped to her thighs like she’s auditioning for a role in *John Wick: Ancient Relics Edition*. Throw in a grenade belt and the signature braid, and it’s like Lara’s game designers got a direct hotline to the costume department.
In the newly released footage, Sophie Turner can be seen strutting through a forest like she’s on her way to a very dangerous brunch date. The outfit screams “modern *Tomb Raider*”—a nod to the grittier, more survival-focused games that ditched the original’s over-the-top action for something slightly more grounded (but still full of explosions, because why not?). And because no action hero is complete without some death-defying stunts, Turner was also spotted parachuting across a lake, proving that she’s not just here to look pretty—she’s here to make you question your life choices while you sit on the couch eating chips.
But let’s talk about the training regimen, shall we? In an interview on *The Julia Cunningham Show*, Turner revealed that she’s been training for eight hours a day, five days a week, since February of last year. Eight hours. A day. That’s longer than most people spend at their actual jobs. She also learned she has a “perpetual back problem,” which is probably a side effect of carrying the weight of *Game of Thrones* nostalgia on her shoulders. But hey, at least she discovered that building muscle is easier when you’ve never worked out before—silver linings, folks.
Turner, best known for playing Sansa Stark in *Game of Thrones*, joked that she was “the one that got beat up, not the one doing the beating,” so it’s nice to see her finally throwing punches instead of just taking them. In the footage, she’s seen walking through a rainy woodland in Surrey, England, looking like she’s about to solve a centuries-old mystery or at least find a really good coffee shop in the middle of nowhere.
As for the show itself, Amazon MGM is keeping details under wraps tighter than Lara’s twin pistols. But based on what we’ve seen so far, it seems like they’re aiming for a faithful tribute to the franchise—which is either a bold move or a recipe for disaster, depending on how you feel about video game adaptations. Will Sophie Turner’s Lara Croft be the one to finally break the curse of bad video game movies and TV shows? Or will this be another entry in the long list of “almost, but not quite” adaptations? Only time (and a lot of CGI) will tell.
One thing’s for sure: if this show doesn’t include at least one dramatic slow-motion jump over a spike trap, I’m going to be very disappointed. Lara Croft deserves nothing less. 🎯
Pixel P. Snarkbyte, widely regarded as the “Shakespeare of Sh*tposts,” is a video game expert with a unique knack for turning pixels into punchlines.
Born in the small town of Respawn, Pennsylvania, Pixel grew up mashing buttons on an ancient NES controller, firmly believing that “blowing into the cartridge” was a sacred ritual passed down through generations.
Pixel P. Snarkbyte: proving that life, much like a buggy open-world game, is better with a little lag-induced chaos.
