A video game, a movie, and a dedicated series are all the ingredients for an upcomingTomb Raidercinematic universe. To be blunt, it’s not something most would’ve expected. Video game adaptations are entering a sort-of renaissance of quality titles, fromSonic the Hedgehogto HBO’s ultra-successfulThe Last of Us, but that’s just it. They’re one-offs, things that can be reasonably enjoyed as a standalone product. Pretty muchany successful cinematic universe— or just the MCU so far — needs time, planning, and an investment from an already-established audience to even have a chance at justifying the immense costs involved in creating one.
But, most companies aren’t Amazon. With a seemingly endless cash flow and persistent influence, the company will be partnering with the current owner of theTomb Raiderfranchise, Crystal Dynamics, in producing this cinematic universe. We’re not hoping that this venture will fail, far from it. But, we find ourselves asking: why doesTomb Raiderof all things need a cinematic universe?
Tomb Raider Is a Malleable Franchise
Short of going to space, Lara Croft and theTomb Raiderseries as a whole have gone in many different directions. We’ve seen Lara Croft take dual pistols to dinosaurs, punch sharks, and gun down ancient monsters by the dozens with reckless abandon. We’ve seen Lara fight for survival using just about anything she can get her hands on, flinching at every speck of blood and gore she gets stained with. Even in the span of a single game,Tomb Raider: Legend, she can be seen racing motorbikes in the desert before fighting a monster with King Arthur’s magical sword. There’s a bit more leeway inTomb Raidercompared toother game franchises, which may lend itself to being more easily adaptable to a cinematic universe.
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WhileTomb Raider’s other characters rarely get the limelight as much as Lara Croft, it’s possible that a cinematic universe could expand them into being more than just sidekicks. Winston Smith, a butler of the Croft Manor that frequently interacts with Lara between her expeditions, could be given a greater presence as Lara’s companion. Zip and Alister Fletcher, her respective tech expert and research assistant, can receive more motivation beyond simply being comic relief and providing expository dialogue.
Tomb Raider Is Easy to Jump Into
Again,Tomb Raideris a franchise that features a gun-toting adventurer punching sharks and shooting dinosaurs. Aside from the reboot trilogy that brought a gritty edge to Lara Croft, it’s pretty easy to start playing the games in practically any order, minus some context for certain story beats. They’re serviceable action-adventure games with some puzzle-solving here and there, coupled with stories that range from Lara hunting artifacts, searching for lost family members, or just trying to survive. It’s not high-fantasy, and it’s not terribly deep, but it doesn’t need to be. The games fill their specific niche and, likeIndiana Jones, offer a compelling adventure set in historical locations.
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SinceTomb Raiderfocuses on archaeology and actionin equal measure, it’s comparatively easy to set Lara’s adventures practically anywhere on the planet. Not even the most remote regions on Earth are spared from her escapades. Name a place, and Lara has like been there, including, Antarctica, Machu Picchu, Shanghai, Luxor, and even Las Vegas. Not only does this provide for an interesting variety of locations, but it allows for an equal variety of intriguing stories to be told. You could focus on Arthurian legends, ancient mesoamerican cultures, or even urbanized cities. As long as Lara gets to do what she’s best known for — jumping, shooting, and exploring — you can find a way to make it sensible.
Lara Croft Is a Beloved Character
Acinematic universe based onTomb Raiderpresents a unique challenge for casting. Lara Croft is the de facto face of the franchise. Without Lara Croft, there is noTomb Raider.The two are irreversibly intertwined with each other. Therefore, if you can’t pickthe perfect actor for Lara Croftright away, you can consider the cinematic universe as good as dead. If you have to recast the lead of your million-dollar franchise as soon as the first movie is out, all that money would’ve been better served as kindling.
But Lara Croft is a lot of things to a lot of people. She’s cunning, witty, acrobatic, intelligent, sly, courageous, passionate, and inquisitive, all in the name of exploring the unknown and looking great while doing it. She’srarely seen without her dual pistolsor, in the reboot trilogy, her hunting bow. In combining all of this, you have an amazing heroine that could go toe-to-toe with just about anything. It’s a tall order for any actor, let alone one with the chops to pull it off convincingly.
Even with this challenge in mind, you could make a decent argument thatTomb Raidercould result in a successful cinematic universe. Whether it’ll actually happen is another story altogether. Having said that, let’s hope that this experiment will set the stage for more serious adaptations of video game properties in the future.
