Despite originally breaking onto the scene as an unlikely polygonal sex symbol in the 90s, Amazon's take on Lara Croft will instead opt to show the "other side" of the video game icon.
Speaking to the L.A. Times, new Lara Croft actor Sophie Turner says her version will not be a "sex bombshell".
"It’s about her and her story and what drives her, rather than what so many people also love about her, which is how hot she is in the games and the movies," Turner revealed.
For Turner, this version of Lara Croft – shepherded to the screen by Phoebe Waller-Bridge – will focus on her brilliance elsewhere.
"I really want to show the other side," Turner explained. "She’s so unashamedly capable. She is not a woman who hides her strengths at all."
Curiously, the first look at Turner's Lara Croft did take heavy inspiration from Tomb Raider's early heyday, complete with signature red shades found both in Tomb Raider 3 and adorning the covers of various culture and lifestyle magazines at the time.
There's even a case to be made for Lara not embracing her sexuality in almost a quarter of a century, not since the days of Angelina Jolie's on-screen Lara Croft. Since then, the 2000s' Legend trilogy and the rebooted series with a younger Lara have focused more on her tomb-raiding exploits and personal drama.
Turner's Lara also has the approval of Alix Wilton Reagan, who is voicing Lara in this year's Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and 2027's Tomb Raider: Catalyst. She wrote on Instagram, "Lara looking mighty fine / fire / fierce these days. @sophieturner - I AM HERE FOR IT."
Amazon's Tomb Raider TV show is currently undated.
For more, check out our picks for the best Prime Video shows and all the upcoming video game movies coming your way very soon.
