Prime Video’s Fallout Successor Can Be The Definitive Adaptation Of A Video Game Classic

Although Prime Video’s upcoming streaming series could be the best video game show since Fallout, this would require the show to finally offer viewers a definitive adaptation of an infamously tricky franchise. After years of struggling at the box office and with critics, video game adaptations have enjoyed a lot of big wins in recent years. Although billion-dollar hits like The Super Mario Bros Movie prove that great video game movies can exist, the small screen is where the genre has truly flourished.

From HBO’s The Last of Us adaptation to Prime Video’s Fallout, there are a slew of new video game shows whose longer runtimes and more complex narratives allow them to faithfully recreate the appeal of their source material. Although the long-awaited Halo series might have been something of a letdown, shows like Twisted Metal, Arcane, Secret Level, Castlevania, and Devil May Cry all prove that filmmakers are finally finding a way to bring video games to life onscreen.

That said, one major franchise has not yet tested this theory. The Fallout franchise series began back in 1997, but Prime Video’s show didn’t arrive on the streaming service until 2024. In contrast, there have been plenty of Lara Croft movies and even an earlier animated TV show spinoff already, and none of them have managed to replicate the appeal of the iconic video game franchise. Thus, even after the unambiguous success of Fallout, Tomb Raider still seems like a tough nut for creatives to crack.

Prime Video’s Tomb Raider Can Finally Be The Movie The Games Deserve

The Lara Croft franchise’s history is long and complicated, beginning in 1996 with the hit PC game Tomb Raider. Tomb Raider’s success led to three sequel games in 1997, 1998, and 1999, and 2001’s movie adaptation Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, which starred Angelina Jolie in the title role. Although this box office hit spawned a sequel in 2003’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, neither of these movies was based on the games.

Instead, the Jolie films were based on Top Cow’s Lara Croft comics, which ran from 1999 until 2005 and featured a lot of canon differences from the games. 2018’s live-action Alicia Vikander reboot movie, simply titled Tomb Raider, was a direct game adaptation, but this movie adapted the 2013 reboot of the same name rather than one of the original games. While the reboot was a fairly faithful adaptation of the 2013 game, it was a mediocre movie that, unsurprisingly, never spawned a sequel thanks to its middling reception.

Most recently, 2024 saw Netflix release the animated series The Legend of Lara Croft, which saw Hayley Atwell take on the title role. Although this show shared its canon with the reboot game trilogy, its appeal was limited by its animated format, and The Legend of Lara Croft could hardly be called a definitive screen adaptation of the series as a result. Thus, Tomb Raider still needs a definitive screen adaptation, and its next series can fulfill this promise.

Lara Croft’s Existing Adaptations Don’t Live Up To The Games

Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge is working on Prime Video’s upcoming live-action show starring Sophie Turner, and this take on Lara Croft looks set to finally do the game series justice. From what little is known about the show, it appears that the series won’t be a continuation of an existing adaptation, but a fresh start that pulls its inspiration from various games in the franchise.

While the Prime Video show’s stacked supporting cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Celia Imrie, and Jason Isaacs, this is not the only reason that the series is exciting. Waller-Bridge previously dabbled in the action-adventure genre with her co-screenwriter credit on 2021’s No Time to Die, a daring end to Daniel Craig’s time as 007 that toyed with the conventions of the long-running series. Thus, the Prime Video show’s creator has already proven she can do for Lara Croft what Fallout did for its ’90s source material in 2024.

Showrunner

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Chad Hodge

Writers

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

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