From Game to Film: How Hollywood Has Interpreted Lara Croft

Tomb Raider

Tomb Raider’s Lara Croft is one of the most iconic video game characters to have ever been created. Almost everyone will know of her, as they will have experienced her in some capacity.

There have been many incarnations of the character in terms of entertainment. We’ve seen her be used as part of a gaming franchise, but we’ve also seen her be used as a source for comics, books, TV shows, and films.

She’s become so big and widely known, everyone wants a piece of her, including some of the biggest industries…

Gaming depictions of Tomb Raider

The gaming industry is where it all began for the character known as Lara Croft. The first Tomb Raider game entry was back in 1996, when it was released for PC. There were other iterations that were available soon after, with the release of Tomb Raider II launching in 1997.

The games have provided fans of the series with some iconic moments. Tomb Raider II allowed players to control Lara Croft and lock her butler, Winston Jeeves, in the freezer. No one really knows why they did this, nor did it achieve anything other than stopping him from following you around. Nonetheless, it was something we all did when we played.

Several games have been released over the years that have been based on the protagonist. In 2023, the latest of the series – Tomb Raider: Remastered – was released on mobile. Other gaming entities have also had Tomb Raider inspired games released, too.

The iGaming industry is one such niche where you’ll be able to find a game based on the character. If you play slots online, you probably know the Tomb Raider 2: Secret of the Sword game. In this game by Games Global, you’ll encounter visuals that match the overall theme of the franchise. At the same time, you’ll have the opportunity to uncover several treasures, such as a free spins mode and a “Global Adventure” feature.

Indeed, it’s not just games that have managed to bolster the female character’s reputation worldwide, as there have been several Hollywood blockbusters to have been created based on the British archaeologist.

How has Hollywood depicted Lara Croft?

It can be argued that Hollywood’s portrayal of Lara Croft could have been revolutionary for the franchise. Given the platform that the movie industry has in terms of reaching millions of viewers, the usage of Angelina Jolie (and then others) have helped to change the perception of the character.

Although it was down to the game, it could be argued that the portrayal of a female lead character in an adventure-action-based film helped to change Hollywood and people’s ideology of the film type.
At the time of the first film (released in 2001), it was very uncommon to see a woman playing the main protagonist. Add in the fact that the character was portrayed as an individual who was smart, rich, elegant, beautiful, and intellectual, which helped to change the narrative around what was the norm.

Even the latest films involving the character, such as those portrayed by Alicia Vikander, have helped to continue to push boundaries and show how a strong female character can appear. She plays the character in a way that doesn’t focus on her physical appearance but rather on her mental toughness and how strong women can be from within.

Will we see new Tomb Raider depictions in Hollywood?

Although there doesn’t appear to be another instalment heading to Hollywood, Lara Croft is expected to be heading to TV in the near future.

Amazon Studios had entered a partnership dj2 Entertainment to produce a new movie reboot, but news has died down on that front since the partnership formation in January 2023. However, there has been movement regarding a TV show.

Filming has been revealed to start sometime in 2025, and is being developed for Amazon’s Prime video streaming service. It will be part of the shared universe that has been created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge in the titled “Tomb Raider” series.

Unfortunately, there haven’t been too many details to have been shared about what to expect. Nonetheless, it should be easy to expect the character to be portrayed in the same way as it has in the past. A woman that is portrayed to be extremely strong on the inside and outside, and can achieve whatever she puts her mind to!