In May 2024, Amazon Prime Video confirmed it was developing a Tomb Raider series, with Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge attached as writer and producer. Waller-Bridge hyped the project herself, saying, “Lara means a lot to me... Bats ’n all.”
Fast forward to now: multiple sources say the project’s scrapped. One told the Daily Mail it’s “not going ahead,” another said it’s “dead.” Neither Amazon nor Waller-Bridge have commented.
Development seems to have burned through tens of millions. According to Puck, it went through two writers' rooms and still ended up with no usable script. Rumours point to delays and script issues, all under the umbrella of Waller-Bridge’s $20 million-a-year exclusivity deal with Amazon. That deal has yet to produce a single show or film.
Former Amazon Studios boss Jennifer Salke was behind both the Waller-Bridge contract and the Tomb Raider project. She left her role just last week. In 2023, Salke said: “We think it's going to be a huge franchise for us.” Not anymore.
Amazon hasn’t officially confirmed the cancellation. Meanwhile, a new Tomb Raider game is still in the works at Crystal Dynamics, using Unreal Engine 5. Expect puzzles, combat, and the usual rebooted Lara drama. No release date yet, but at least it still exists.