Sophie Turner will play Lara Croft in the new Tomb Raider series, Amazon MGM Studios has confirmed, after news of the Game of Thrones alum‘s involvement was reported in November 2024. The show, from Phoebe Waller-Bridge of Fleabag fame, will officially begin production on January 19, 2026.

Sharing the news on her Instagram story, the 29-year-old exclaimed that she could finally ‘talk about’ the role.

Prior to Turner, the role was essayed by Angelina Jolie, and Alicia Vikander.

Speaking about playing Croft on screen, Turner said “I am thrilled beyond measure,” and added, “She’s such an iconic character, who means so much to so many – and I am giving everything I’ve got. They’re massive shoes to fill, following in the steps of Angelina and Alicia with their powerhouse performances, but with Phoebe at the helm, we (and Lara) are all in very safe hands. I can’t wait for you all to see what we have cooking,” as per Variety.

With Turner acknowledging her predecessors, here’s some insight Angelina Jolie had shared about playing Lara Croft.

What Angelina Jolie said about playing Lara Croft

Jolie, who played Croft in the 2011 Simon West-directed movie, spoke to cinema.com about her experience playing the British archeologist with a penchant for action and adventure. She recalled it was “two and a half months of tough training,” to gain solid muscle mass for the role.

The actor had further said “They had me on bunjis. I’m dog sledding. They had me up at seven each morning and handed me a protein shake. Suddenly, a nutritionist was giving me five meals a day.”

Fans react to Sophie Turner playing Lara Croft

Croft has been a popular fixture among gamers for many years, so the films and shows around the character always draw interest. While some are excited to see Turner step into the action hero’s role, others are not as enthused.

“Sophie Turner as Lara Croft, this is about to be a whole new era for Tomb Raider,” one said on X. Another, meanwhile, commented, “Angelina Jolie is Lara Croft. Not sure Sophie Turner can pull off this role.”

Turner, for her part, seems to have been getting ready for the role, with photos emerging from earlier this year, showing the actor with some serious muscle.

Turner, who has some action movie experience from her stints as Jean Grey in the X-Men films, and the spy flick Barely Lethal, has a chance to make her mark playing an iconic action hero in the new Tomb Raider series.