Amazon has announced more cast members joining its live-action Tomb Raider series.
Renowned actress, beloved Faithful and nervous farter from last year’s Celebrity Traitors Celia Imrie has joined already announced Tomb Raider cast members Sophie Turner, Jason Isaacs, Sigourney Weaver and Martin Bobb-Semple.
Other newly announced cast members include Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Bill Paterson and August Wittgenstein, to name just four.
So, who is playing who? Well, along with Turner as Lara Croft, the following cast are confirmed in canon roles from the Tomb Raider video games:
- Martin Bobb-Semple is Zip, Lara Croft’s long-standing tech support and friend (many suspected this is who Bobb-Semple would be playing)
- Jason Isaacs is Atlas DeMornay, Lara’s uncle
- Bill Paterson is Winston, the long-standing Croft family butler
Meanwhile, the following roles are new to the Tomb Raider universe:
- Jack Bannon is Gerry, Lara’s personal pilot and snack collector
- John Heffernan is David, an exhausted government official who finds himself tangled up in Lara’s unusual world
- Celia Imrie is Francine, the Head of Advancement at the British Museum, focused solely on raising funds and glasses of champagne
- Paterson Joseph is Thomas Warner, a senior government official brought in to clean up an almighty mess
- Sasha Luss is Sasha, a fierce, deeply competitive new adversary of Lara’s
- Juliette Motamed is Georgia, a devoted, by-the-books curator at the British Museum, dedicated to the “proper” preservation of history
- Sigourney Weaver is Evelyn Wallis, a mysterious, high-flying woman who is keen to exploit Lara’s talents
- August Wittgenstein is Lukas, an illegal raider who shares history with Lara in more ways than one
Based on these descriptions, I am going to say Lukas is a love interest in a similar vein to Daniel Craig’s Alex West from the first Angelina Jolie-fronted Tomb Raider film.
I am curious to see what Isaacs’ Uncle Atlus will be like. The last time I remember hearing his name pop up was in the Rise of the Tomb Raider: Blood Ties DLC, when he was trying to get Croft Manor from Lara. It didn’t sound like he and Lara exactly saw eye to eye. Also, I hope we don’t get too bogged down in any Daddy issues, as I am going to assume Lara is once again an orphan in the upcoming series.
“Tomb Raider has always been defined by bold storytelling and unforgettable characters, and these new cast members bring incredible depth and gravitas to the series,” said Peter Friedlander, head of Amazon MGM Studios. “With talents like Sigourney Weaver and Jason Isaacs joining the ensemble, we’re elevating this world in exciting new ways, and can’t wait for our global Prime Video audience to experience this next chapter of Tomb Raider.”
Weaver previously stated the Tomb Raider scripts are “incredible, and very funny, very charming, very witty”. Meanwhile, Phoebe Waller-Bridge – who along with Fleabag is also known for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Killing Eve and Crashing – will serve as the Tomb Raider series’ creator, writer, executive producer and co-showrunner. Jonathan Van Tulleken will be director and executive producer, along with Chad Hodge as co-showrunner and executive producer.
Filming for Tomb Raider is expected to kick off later this month, on 19th January.
As well as Amazon’s show, the game side of the business is currently collaborating with Crystal Dynamics on an all-new Tomb Raider known as Catalyst. Revealed last month, Tomb Raider: Catalyst sends Lara to Northern India, and takes place some time after series entry Underworld.
Alix Wilton Regan will portray Lara in both Catalyst and next year’s Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, which is a remake of the first game.