Summary:
- Hayley Atwell voices Lara Croft in Netflix’s animated series, set between the Survivor trilogy and the original games, making her portrayal older than Alicia Vikander’s but younger than Angelina Jolie’s.
- The series bridges the gap in the Tomb Raider timeline, continuing Lara’s adventures.
A staple in pop culture for nearly 30 years, the Tomb Raider franchise has seen many iterations.
While the series’ protagonist, British archaeologist and hardened survivor Lara Croft, maintains similar traits across all the franchise’s games, novels, comics, and movies, each portrayal brings a unique spin to the character.
The original 1996 Tomb Raider video game was so successful that it prompted annual releases through 2003.
Hollywood capitalized on Tomb Raider’s popularity by casting Angelina Jolie as the live-action Lara Croft. Now, decades later, Netflix‘s animated action-adventure series, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, introduces a new version of the iconic character with a brand-new voice actor.
Hayley Atwell Voices Lara Croft in Netflix’s Animated Tomb Raider Show
In the wake of the Tomb Raider video game reboot’s success, Netflix ordered an anime-inspired series based on the enduring franchise.
At the time, the third installment in Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics’ Survivor trilogy had capped off the bestselling saga, while the Alicia Vikander-starring Tomb Raider (2018) garnered an impressive $274.7 million at the box office, despite mixed reviews.
For Netflix, Croft felt like a winning bet. To make matters even more exciting, the streamer announced that Hayley Atwell would voice Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft.
Atwell, best known for playing special agent Peggy Carter in Marvel‘s Agent Carter and the Captain America films, has also starred in other action-packed projects, including Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning.
With a background in voice acting, including multiple MCU projects and BBC Radio performances, Atwell is a perfect fit to helm an animated series.
Hayley Atwell’s Lara Croft Is Older Than Vikander’s (But Younger Than Jolie’s)
Netflix’s animated Tomb Raider series is set between the events of the Survivor trilogy and the original saga of games released from 1996 to 2003.
This timeline suggests that The Legend of Lara Croft takes place after the reboot trilogy but before the original games. Since 2018’s Tomb Raider movie starring Vikander was an origin story inspired by 2013’s Tomb Raider, Atwell’s Croft is older than Vikander’s.
However, the early 2000s Angelina Jolie-starring films, which echo Tomb Raider’s classic games and comics, feature a slightly older Lara Croft.
Hayley Atwell’s Lara Croft Is the Same One from the Survivor Trilogy
While Vikander’s Lara Croft was inspired by the Survivor trilogy, her portrayal was still a unique origin story.
Meanwhile, Jolie’s protagonist, loosely based on the comics from the early 2000s, is distinct from any video game counterpart.
Netflix’s adaptation, however, differs significantly. The Lara Croft of the Survivor trilogy is virtually the same character who will lead Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft.
Set in the Survivor trilogy’s rebooted continuity, the Netflix series will bridge a significant gap in the Tomb Raider timeline, offering fans a cohesive continuation of Lara’s adventures.
