Prime Video’s Fallout Successor Can Be The Definitive Adaptation Of A Video Game Classic

by

Prime Video’s new series has the potential to be the best video game adaptation since Fallout, but only if it can successfully capture the essence of a notoriously difficult franchise. While video game adaptations haven’t always been successful – often failing with both audiences and critics – they’ve seen a surge in popularity recently. Films like The Super Mario Bros. Movie have proven that great video game movies are possible, but it’s on television where this genre has really thrived.

Recent adaptations like HBO’s The Last of Us and Prime Video’s Fallout demonstrate that longer, more detailed shows can successfully capture what makes video games so engaging. While the Halo series didn’t quite live up to expectations, series such as Twisted Metal, Arcane, Secret Level, Castlevania, and Devil May Cry show that filmmakers are increasingly able to translate the excitement of video games to the screen.

Despite the success of the recent Fallout series, one major video game adaptation remains a challenge: Tomb Raider. While Fallout finally found success on screen in 2024, after beginning as a game in 1997, Tomb Raider hasn’t had the same luck. Several Lara Croft movies and even a previous animated series haven’t captured the magic of the original games. This suggests that adapting Tomb Raider for a new audience is proving particularly difficult for filmmakers and showrunners.

Prime Video’s Tomb Raider Can Finally Be The Movie The Games Deserve

The story of Lara Croft is quite extensive, starting with the popular 1996 computer game, Tomb Raider. The game’s success led to three more games released in the following years, and then a movie adaptation, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, starring Angelina Jolie, came out in 2001. While a sequel, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider – The Cradle of Life, was released in 2003, neither of the films actually followed the storylines of the games.

The Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider movies weren’t based on the games themselves, but on a comic book series published by Top Cow from 1999 to 2005, which had many differences from the game storylines. The 2018 film starring Alicia Vikander was a direct adaptation of a game, but it used the 2013 reboot as its source material, not one of the original Tomb Raider games. Although the movie closely followed the 2013 game, it wasn’t very successful and didn’t get a sequel.

In 2024, Netflix released the animated series The Legend of Lara Croft, starring Hayley Atwell. While the show connected to the recent Tomb Raider games, its animation style didn’t fully capture the feel of the franchise, meaning it wasn’t the definitive screen adaptation fans have been waiting for. A truly great Tomb Raider movie or series is still needed, and a new project has the potential to finally deliver that.

Lara Croft’s Existing Adaptations Don’t Live Up To The Games

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the creator of Fleabag, is developing a new Lara Croft series for Prime Video starring Sophie Turner. Early details suggest this show will be a reboot of the video game series, drawing inspiration from multiple games rather than continuing any previous adaptations, and aims to be a faithful and compelling take on the iconic character.

The new Prime Video series boasts a fantastic supporting cast including Sigourney Weaver, Celia Imrie, and Jason Isaacs, but that’s not the only reason it’s generating buzz. Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the show’s creator, has experience with action-adventure thanks to her work on the James Bond film No Time to Die, where she cleverly updated the classic formula. This suggests she can successfully reimagine Lara Croft for a modern audience, much like the Fallout series did with its 1990s video game origins earlier this year.

Read More

2026-05-05 21:48