I wrote the book on Tomb Raider - here's how Sophie Turner and Alix Wilton Regan will rewrite Lara Croft's history

Since its 1996 debut, Tomb Raider has remained an iconic franchise, with protagonist Lara Croft jumping, shooting and plundering tombs for almost three decades.

Tomb Raider is a series that’s been a constant presence in my career. There’s no greater example than having a book published about the first two games in 2021, along with a follow-up coming out later this year.

2026 marks the series’ 30th year, and Crystal Dynamics, the current custodians of Tomb Raider in gaming, have announced two new titles.

The first, called Legacy of Atlantis, is a re-imagining of the first game, out later this year, while Catalyst is the latest all-new entry in the series, coming out in 2027.

New Tomb Raider games usually feature a new voice actor for Lara, and Alix Wilton Regan was indeed announced as the latest to voice Croft. I suspected as much when I saw her interviewed on Radio Times Gaming’s TikTok channel.

And with the Sophie Turner-starring Amazon series looming a little further on the horizon, there’s a clear theme being instilled — the classic retro Lara that you remember from the old days is back, in more ways than one.

An old favourite for a new audience

This year’s Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis game is a reimagining of the 1996 original. However, I have heard that the game is leaning more towards 2007’s Tomb Raider Anniversary remake in its narrative and level design. It makes sense, as Crystal Dynamics long ago said that every mainline entry was going to be part of a unified timeline.

This means that the 2013 reboot is the earliest game, speaking from Lara’s point of view, and 2008’s Tomb Raider Underworld is the most recent in her timeline. Confused? Understandable. But with Atlantis and Catalyst coming soon, both with Alix Wilton Regan voicing Lara, it should be easier than ever for new players to jump in and understand what’s going on.

As Legacy of Atlantis will be set early on in Lara’s timeline, this means that we'll hopefully get to see the wit and British humour that were abundant in the 1996 original, and in some of the 2007 remake. Originally voiced by Shelley Blond, she was able to get across Lara’s humour in a way that I feel has been lost in recent years.

Regan already seems to have that aspect, and there was no shortage of tongue-in-cheek humour in the trailers for both her upcoming games. To bring a less-serious Lara to new and old players, hearkening back to how Blond started it all, would be very welcome.

Indeed, if you look at one of Regan’s showreels, you can hide the video and easily imagine her voicing Lara being sassy but confident. And we see a glimpse of that humour in the Catalyst trailer, when she jokingly tells a monologuing villain, "That’s where you’re wrong. I’m just getting started…"

If we see other attributes in Legacy of Atlantis, such as the much-needed return of Winston the Butler, or some motifs of the original music created and composed by Nathan McCree, this new reimagining could make the game a contender for game of the year. But that’s not all.

A catalyst moment

Regan also has a unique challenge with Lara, something arguably not done before in other franchises. 2027’s Tomb Raider: Catalyst is set at the latest point in the unified timeline, meaning it’s set roughly 11 games after the events of Legacy of Atlantis. We’re going to be seeing Lara as an older, more experienced archaeologist, whom we’ll be playing later this year.

That means Regan is likely going to bring a more mature Lara to the mix here, bridging her take from Atlantis to Catalyst. This is also exciting, as Regan has a lot of control over how this older Lara will react to situations. Again, I hope the British wit remains, if it does return in Legacy of Atlantis, and I can’t help but think she will bring that to Lara in droves based on her previous roles.

But there’s also another catalyst moment to consider, in the form of Sophie Turner. Although she was confirmed to be playing Lara in the Amazon TV Show, it wasn’t until 15th January that a photo revealed Turner in the full Lara Croft garb, reflecting the classic era.

Indeed, when you look at Sophie Turner with the shorts, the pistols, the red sunglasses and the lack of sleeves, you can’t help but notice how the whole ensemble screams of a retro Lara Croft vibe.

When you consider the voice skills of Regan, combined with the look of Lara in the Amazon show, I can’t help but think that 'classic Lara' is officially back. That’s a promising theme to latch onto as we move closer to Lara’s big birthday.

Rewriting history

It’s clear that the Tomb Raider franchise is rolling back the years, all the way back to the original Lara, with these new projects.

You couldn’t have imagined this happening as close as five years ago, when Alicia Vikander’s take on Croft was fresh in many minds, matching closely with the bow-and-arrow-wielding, self-serious vibe of the Survivor trilogy games.

In those games (2013’s Tomb Raider, 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider, and 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider), where Lara was played by Camilla Luddington, everything seemed to have a grey and gritty feel. Retro Lara was something to move away from, not something to embrace, at that moment in time.

Now that the Survivor era has played out (and it did have some great moments, let me say for the record), Sophie Turner and Alix Wilton Regan both seem to be throwing it back to Tomb Raider’s early days in their own ways.

Between them, they’re rewriting Lara’s history by revisiting those early looks and lighthearted vibes, and making them fresh and new all over again. Some old stories, some new ones, but a Lara that feels true to the original vision.

Just as The Last of Us and Fallout games have found new players by moving onto TV, Tomb Raider is putting itself in a great position to entice people here.

By the time that Sophie Turner’s TV show is out, Alix Wilton Regan’s first game will be available, and both will be united by a retro feel that’s instantly recognisable as the Lara Croft of yore.

These new actors are a perfect way to celebrate Tomb Raider’s 30th anniversary, as well as taking the series forward in both mediums.

With a sold-out fan event happening in Derby later this year to celebrate, the hype is huge already. In addition, having spoken to Lara actors Shelley Blond, Judith Gibbins, and Jonell Elliott for my two ‘Making of Tomb Raider’ books, I was always struck by how honoured they still are to be part of Lara Croft.

Now, there are two more to add to the roster. After years of feeling like the franchise was undervalued and misplaced, I’m instead feeling lots of enthusiasm and hope for where the two games will go, as well as the Amazon TV show, and it’s mostly thanks to Regan, as well as Turner.

Daryl Baxter's book, The Making of Tomb Raider, is available now from Pen & Sword Books, Amazon and Waterstones.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis releases later this year for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

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