Injury sidelines Sophie Turner, shutting down Tomb Raider series production

The upcoming series adaptation of the beloved video game was developed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, in her first big project since her “Fleabag” breakout.

Sophie Turner has been injured, causing a production halt on the highly anticipated Tomb Raider series, in which the Game of Thrones star plays heiress and adventurer Lara Croft.

“Sophie Turner recently experienced a minor injury. As a precaution, production has briefly paused to allow her time to recover. We look forward to resuming production as soon as possible,” Amazon MGM Studios said in a statement shared with Entertainment Weekly.

Amazon announced that production on Tomb Raider kicked off on January 15. Based on the beloved video game series that was adapted into a popular pair of films starring Angelina Jolie in the early 2000s, the property’s first live-action series adaptation does not yet have a release date.

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Tomb Raider has been a viable site for adaptation ever since the first game released in 1996. The first Jolie film, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, grossed over double its budget in 2001, while sequel The Cradle of Life earned $160 million on a $95 million budget.

A pair of unrelated animated series followed, and in 2018, Lara Croft returned to the big screen in a reboot starring Swedish Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander, which similarly grossed over double its budget.

Tomb Raider game series company Crystal Dynamics and Amazon MGM Studios announced Fleabag creator and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge as the creative force behind the live-action series in 2024.

“If I could tell my teenage self that this was happening, I think she’d explode,” the actress, writer, and director said at the time. “Tomb Raider has been a huge part of my life and I feel incredibly privileged to be bringing it to television with such passionate collaborators.”

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Turner’s casting was announced the following September.

“I’m so excited to announce the formidable Sophie Turner as our Lara alongside this phenomenal creative team. It’s not very often you get to make a show of this scale with a character you grew up loving,” Waller-Bridge said.

Joining Waller-Bridge and Turner on the series are co-showrunner Chad Hodge, who previously created the series Wayward Pines and The Playboy Club, and Story Kitchens’ Dmitri M. Johnson, behind the recent, highly profitable Sonic the Hedgehog film series.

Turner’s castmates include Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Bill Paterson, and Celia Imrie.

Via: Entertainment Weekly