Tomb Raider Showrunner on Exploring Lara Croft From a Female Perspective

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Tomb Raider Showrunner on Exploring Lara Croft From a Female Perspective

As a lifelong fan of Lara Croft, I can say that this new animated series, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, is a breath of fresh air. It’s heartening to see such a beloved character being brought to life by someone who truly understands her spirit – a female creator!

Lara Croft, the renowned character from the “Tomb Raider” video game series, is often seen as a symbol of feminism. However, it’s only now, with the new series titled “Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft“, that a female creator is bringing the games to life for the first time. Previously, “Tomb Raider” has been translated into live-action films three times. Angelina Jolie was the initial actress to embody the character in these movies. Later, in 2018, Alicia Vikander took on the role of Lara Croft in a big-screen reboot of the franchise in “Tomb Raider“, under the direction of Roar Uthaug.

In a groundbreaking move, Tasha Huo, the first woman to lead a significant adaptation of the popular video game franchise, Tomb Raider, is responsible for creating and penning Netflix’s latest animated series titled The Legend of Lara Croft. During an interview with MovieWeb, Huo, the showrunner, shared her profound feelings about getting the opportunity to narrate Lara Croft’s tale from a female point of view. Interestingly, more than half of the crew at Powerhouse Animation working on The Legend of Lara Croft are women.

Huo shared that the reason it was amazing to work on the project with Powerhouse team members was due to the incredibly close rapport everyone had, which stemmed not just from their past experience of playing all those games as children. Instead, much like herself, these games seemed to have seeped into their very essence.

It was amazing to return to this character and her world, especially with individuals who held her in high regard, shared my feelings for her deeply. It wasn’t just me getting emotional when we reached intense moments with Lara; everyone felt it together. It’s truly special to have a strong connection with these women who were impacted by the game just as much as the rest of us.

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft Has a Larger-Than-Life Villain

In my perspective, I’d like to express that Tasha Huo’s fresh take on Tomb Raider is not merely an adaptation of the cherished video games; it’s a seamless extension. The narrative unfolds after the “Survivor” series, spanning from 2013 to 2018. These games introduced us to a younger Lara Croft, gradually evolving her into the iconic Tomb Raider we all know. Netflix’s latest animated series, The Legend of Lara Croft, commences shortly following the third installment in the trilogy. With Hayley Atwell portraying our heroine and Richard Armitage as Charles Devereaux, our protagonist embarks on a globe-trotting journey, competing with her new adversary to secure the potent Peril Stones.

There’s something uniquely British about Lara Croft. The daughter of a wealthy aristocrat, Hayley Atwell brings the signature English sarcasm to her performance, as she’s faced with unspeakable horrors on her journey. Of course, no classic larger-than-life adventure is complete without a larger-than-life villain. During our conversation, Huo touched on Richard Armitage’s performance in the series, and how Deveraux is a unique villain in the Tomb Raider franchise. She said:

“Richard is fantastic, and I’ve been a fan of his for a really long time. For me,
the role of Devereaux was always going to be someone who was a mirror to Lara Croft.
Someone who is going through a similar darkness, a similar pain, and he’s choosing a certain path. And Lara has to face that and decide, does she want to go down that path, or does she want to go down a different one.”

Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft
streams on Netflix on October 10, 2024.

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2024-09-28 00:33