I Was Iffy About Hayley Atwell’s Tomb Raider: The Legend Of Lara Croft, But Netflix’s Action-Packed First Look Changed My Mind

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A follow-up to Shadow of the Tomb Raider video game.

Considering Alicia Vikander’s Lara Croft never got a second Tomb Raider feature, I admittedly wasn’t all that excited about the prospects of an animated Tomb Raider series heading to Netflix’s 2024 schedule, even with the exciting prospect of Hayley Atwell voicing the lead. But here I am after watching the first trailer for Netflix’s The Legend of Lara Croft, 100% ready to follow the brainy archaeologist anywhere around the globe.

As a direct narrative successor to the Survivor trilogy of Tomb Raider games, this new project follows the ever-courageous and inquisitive adventurer on a new quest filled with high-stakes maneuvering and gorgeous locales.

Following the events of the Survivor series, Lara Croft has abandoned her friends to embark on increasingly more perilous solo adventures. But she must return home when a dangerous and powerful Chinese artifact is stolen from Croft Manor by a thief with an uncanny personal connection. Her daring pursuit will take her on an adventure around the world and to the depths of forgotten tombs, where she will be forced to confront her true self, and decide just what kind of hero she wants to become.

Part of the reason why I’m so newly pumped about Tomb Raider’s arrival as an episodic series is because of the largely gorgeous and kinetic visuals from Powerhouse Animation. That’s the studio that has also been responsible for the eye-popping animation for Castlevania and its Nocturne spinoff, Seis Manos, Blood of Zeus, Masters of the Universe, and Skull Island.

While it might not be for everyone, Powerhouse’s style is quite gorgeous when it comes to massive settings with a lot of depth, and action sequences are always as energetic as can be, which is absolutely on display in the trailer.

Aubrey Plaza in Legion.

(Image credit: FX)

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Never to be confused with Prime Video’s live-action Lara Croft series being tackled by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, this animated series boasts The Witcher: Blood Origin and Red Sonja writer Tasha Huo as its showrunner and executive producer. Legendary Television is the big studio helping it all come together along with dj2 Entertainment and its CEO Dmitri M. Johnson, who has produced the Sonic the Hedgehog films and has a host of video game adaptations in various stages of production, from Just Cause to Dredge.

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft will be available to stream with a Netflix subscription on Thursday, October 10.

Nick Venable
Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.