Following on from today’s earlier news that Amazon had commissioned a television adaptation of the hit video game series Tomb Raider from acclaimed writer Phoebe Waller-Bridge, The Hollywood Reporter is now expanding on that story by revealing that the ‘massive rights deal’ will also include at least one video game, and a new Tomb Raider feature film.

The report states that the plan is to build out, and expand upon, a connected world of the Tomb Raider franchise with the television series, feature film and video game – or games, depending on the success – all being interconnected in a fashion not dissimilar to that employed by Marvel with their Marvel Cinematic Universe which has seen stories interwoven through various formats, including film, television, games and written media.

The latest Tomb Raider video game was already announced last year, and given the previous success of the franchise, further installments of that series and considered probable. The report goes on to add that one source with knowledge of the deal stated it as being among the largest commitments to a franchise made by Amazon after their acquisition to the rights for the Lord of the Rings franchise, on which they are believed to have spent in excess of $250 million. That deal covered a multiple-season show – which is currently airing now, The Rings of Power – and spinoffs of the series are also in the works.

Waller-Bridge is attached to write the script for the television adaptation, a move which stems from the fact that the multitalented performer is a huge fan of the Tomb Raider series and was eager to be involved in its creation for television. Her involvement is believed to stem from an overall deal she has recently renewed with Amazon.

This film adaptation would mark the third attempt at translating the series from console to screen, following a pair of critically-derided features from the early 2000s featuring Angelina Jolie as an overtly-glamorous incarnation of the character, based on Lara Croft’s more ’rounded’ appearance in the early PlayStation video games. A reboot, in 2018, which starred Alicia Vikander, was based on a similar reboot to the video game series.

That film saw a more gritty and realistic version of the character, based on a game that was more comparable to critically acclaimed games like Naughty Dog‘s Uncharted series. The Vikander film, however, failed to break even on its budget of $106 million before marketing costs were taken into consideration. A sequel was initially in development, with Vikander attached to reprise her role, due to the slighty more positive critical appraisal of the film. However, that sequel was abandoned in 2022 after MGM‘s film rights to the series expired.

Stay tuned to Collider for further updates on the new Tomb Raider universe, where we will bring you the news as soon as it happens.

via Collider