The EP, Showrunner and writer of the new Netflix series talks about her longstanding adoration of the globetrotting adventurer, the animation style that gives the series a dreamy appeal, and what episodes she’s most looking forward to fans watching; show debuts today, October 10.
While her ass-kickery is known across generations of Tomb Raider fans, Lara Croft's expert leg sweeps and martial arts maneuvers are coming to life in a new 2D animated style with Netflix’s series, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, debuting Thursday, October 10.
The Tomb Raider media franchise, known as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider from 2001 to 2008, originated in 1996 with the action-adventure video game series created by British video game developer Core Design. There are now 22 Tomb Raider video games, three live-action feature films, one animated anthology series and, most recently, Netflix’s series releasing today. The games all told have sold over 95 million copies, and Lara Croft was listed as one of TIME Magazine’s “15 Most Influential Video Game Characters of All Time.”
The new series, starring Hayley Atwell as Lara Croft, continues right after the events of the Survivor Trilogy of video games — Tomb Raider, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider — and finds Lara abandoning her friends to embark on increasingly more perilous solo adventures. However, Lara must return home when a dangerous and powerful Chinese artifact is stolen from Croft Manor by a thief with an uncanny personal connection. Her daring pursuit will take her on an adventure around the world and to the depths of forgotten tombs, where she will be forced to confront her true self and decide just what kind of hero she wants to become.
Enjoy the trailer:
The show is executive produced and written by showrunner Tasha Huo (The Witcher: Blood Origin, Red Sonja). Other executive producers include dj2 Entertainment founder and CEO Dmitri M. Johnson (Sonic the Hedgehog, Life is Strange); Timothy I. Stevenson; Jacob Robinson (Skull Island) under his company Tractor Pants; Dallas Dickinson and Noah Hughes for Crystal Dynamics; and Howard Bliss and Jen Chambers. Powerhouse Animation produces the animation, with Brad Graeber serving as executive producer.
AWN recently sat down with Huo to discuss the longstanding adoration of the globetrotting heroine, the animation style that gives the series a dreamy appeal, and what episodes she’s most looking forward to fans watching.
Victoria Davis: So, tell me about the origins of this project for you. Did you play any of the games before all this began?
Tasha Huo: Definitely. This actually came up for me because I was playing Shadow of The Tomb Raider and was posting about how awesome it was online, and a producer who had the rights to Tomb Raider reached out to me saying, “So, I see you like Tomb Raider. We have a project. Would you be interested?” And I said, “Yes. Absolutely.”
VD: How long have you been a fan of the Tomb Raider games?
TH: I've been playing since the 90s. I’ve loved Lara Croft ever since then. So, it's been a really cool dream to be able to tell this part of her story.
VD: Well, sure. It’s been a 30-year love affair.
TH: Are you calling me old, Victoria?
VD: I wouldn’t dare. Especially since we’re the same age.
TH: Good. Just checking.
VD: But unlike yourself, my husband and I just started getting into these games. I grew up with the Angelina Jolie films. But what do you think it is about Lara Croft that not only draws people in, but also continues to increase demand for more stories?
TH: I think there's a craving for someone as unique as her, in terms of someone who has all the qualities that we normally see in male superheroes, but who is a woman, which just gives it a different color, a different depth, a different kind of relationship with the people around her. It's, in some ways, a very different world if you suddenly have a woman in this role, and we don't have enough of it. We don’t have enough of this kind of character. So, whether people realize it or not, I think they're craving this. We have so much Lara Croft content out there now and more to come.
VD: There seems to be a really good balance with her, where she is an incredibly appealing character, despite the fact that she's extremely independent and headstrong and doesn’t often listen to those around her. Yet, she has these moments of internal reflection that are very emotional. She's just so fun to watch. I imagine that’s something you and the team discussed when working on the show: how to transfer all those character qualities into this new animated series?
TH: Absolutely. That was a huge part of the conversation. It was really exciting for me, as a fan, to be able to explore this middle section of her life where she was extremely vulnerable in the Survivor games series, but where we still knew her as that very fiercely independent, almost cold woman. In the early games, Lara didn't really have a lot of warm relationships, and it's great to be able to combine the humanness of her now with that fun, confident, wily, witty woman from the early games. That’s the intent of the show.
VD: There’s also a lot of her personality expressed in the animation in this series. It's very crisp and can get very dark, but there are some scenes, like those in the jungle in that first episode, that almost feel ethereal and painterly. What were some of the conversations around what you wanted this show to look like?
TH: One word: Beautiful.
VD: You certainly achieved that.
TH: I had so much fun in the games, always getting to explore new worlds that kind of take your breath away. And that’s a high bar. But we really wanted the show to put you in those spaces the way that it did in the video game. So, it is this beautiful, painterly quality that hopefully makes you feel like you're part of that place, but also maintains the wonder of what these places are. So yeah, I'm glad you felt that way.
VD: It is very dreamy to watch. And gorgeous. Is there a particular episode coming up, as far as the animation or the narrative behind Lara’s character, that you’re excited for people to see?
TH: That is a good question. What's interesting about this show is, because Lara travels all over the place, doing very different things in every episode, each one has a different flavor that I love.
That said, I think Episode 4 is probably one of my favorite episodes of the whole show. We dive a lot into who Lara is, why she is this way, and she gets to be in her feelings a bit more, while also having some pretty cool action shit happen.
VD: One last thing. I have to give you props for the 360 action shots, especially the one in Lara’s home among all the artifacts.
TH: Oh my god, yeah. Aren’t those great?
VD: You guys have done an amazing job with the show and it’s making me more excited to explore these games as well. I’m sure it will do the same for other audiences as well.
TH: Yes, I love that! That makes me so happy. That’s the best compliment I’ve been given.
VD: The show fits so well in the canon of her story and I wish you all the best of luck with the release.
TH: Thank you, Victoria. I appreciate it.
Victoria Davis is a full-time, freelance journalist and part-time Otaku with an affinity for all things anime. She's reported on numerous stories from activist news to entertainment. Find more about her work at victoriadavisdepiction.com.
