I’ll be the first to admit it—when I heard Sophie Turner was cast as Lara Croft, I made a face. You know the one. I just couldn’t see Sansa Stark, the Queen in the North who famously didn’t do much fighting, scaling cliffs and dual-wielding pistols. It felt… wrong?
But then the set photos dropped today, and honestly? I might have to eat my words.
She’s actually getting her hands dirty
The new behind-the-scenes pics show Turner hanging off a wall, strapped into wires, looking properly exhausted. And I don’t mean “Hollywood exhausted” with perfect hair and a smudge of dirt on her cheek. I mean “I’ve been slamming my body against a rock wall for six hours” exhausted.
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The Physicality: We all know Lara Croft isn’t just about shooting; it’s about getting absolutely wrecked by the environment. The fact that Turner is doing the wire work herself is a massive green flag.
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The Vibe: She’s wearing the classic tank top, she’s got the braid (I think?), and she looks… tough? Like, actually tough. Not just “acting” tough.
The “Phoebe Waller-Bridge” Factor
Let’s not forget who’s running this show. Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag, Killing Eve) is writing and producing. That means this isn’t going to be some generic, mindless action fest. It’s going to be weird, it’s going to be funny, and Lara is probably going to be a bit of a mess psychologically.
Adding Turner’s stunt work to that mix? It’s starting to sound like a version of Tomb Raider I actually want to watch.
My lingering fears (because I have trust issues)
Look, video game adaptations are cursed. We all know this. For every The Last of Us, there’s a Borderlands movie waiting to traumatize us.
My worry is that they lean too hard into the “gritty reboot” vibe and forget that Lara is also supposed to be, you know, a fun adventure hero. I don’t need Game of Thrones levels of misery. I just want to see her solve a puzzle and maybe fight a dinosaur (okay, maybe not a dinosaur, but you get me).
I’m moving my hype meter from “Skeptical” to “Cautiously Optimistic.” Sophie Turner hanging from a wire doesn’t guarantee the show will be good, but it proves she’s taking the role seriously.
And hey, if she can survive Joffrey, she can probably survive a few ancient traps.
My take: As long as she doesn’t spend the whole season talking about “Winter is Coming,” I think we might be okay. Let her cook.
