Earlier this year we learned that Netflix is making a Tomb Raider anime, and we now know who will voice Lara Croft herself. Hayley Atwell, known for playing Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will take on the role of the globetrotting adventurer, Variety reports.
A joint production between Netflix and Legendary Television, the series will follow the story of the rebooted Tomb Raider games. The reboot series of games began in 2013 with Tomb Raider, and continued with Rise of the Tomb Raider in 2015 and Shadow of the Tomb Raider in 2018. The trilogy also inspired the 2018 Tomb Raider action film, though that stands alone.
As for the anime, Tasha Huo of The Witcher: Blood Origin will write and executive produce. Dmitri M. Johnson of dj2 Entertainment will also executive producer alongside Stephan Bugaj, Howard Bliss, and Jacob Robinson.
While the Tomb Raider anime will mark the first animated debut of Lara Croft, it won’t be Atwell’s first time doing voiceover work. Atwell recently reprised her role as Peggy Carter in Marvel’s What If? For the first episode, Carter becomes superhero Captain Carter. In our review, we praised her vocal performance and hoped she’ll return to the role in a live action film.
If the anime continues the track record of the games, it should do really well. The Tomb Raider reboot trilogy has done well both critically and commercially. For Rise of the Tomb Raider, we praised the characterization of Lara Croft. For its sequel Shadow of the Tomb Raider we mentioned that the game brings the trilogy to a high point. The Tomb Raider anime has big shoes to fill, but with Atwell at the helm as the lead role, animated Lara Croft should be in safe heroic hands.