Fans of the Lara Croft franchise have voiced their concerns about the upcoming anime portrayal of the iconic character following remarks by its showrunner Tasha Huo, believing the action and adventure subplots will be overwritten by other character narratives.
Huo’s comments regarding plans for the franchise’s entry into the anime series, slated for 2024, were spotted in an interview with Variety on Nov. 22. Titled “10 Screenwriters to Watch for 2023,” Huo made the list for her work as a writer for Red Sonja and Naruto. The description ends with Huo’s comments on the upcoming Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, where she stated, “Lara Croft doesn’t just go to a new temple each week but goes through a character-driven emotional story, and that excited me the most.”
This short comment was enough to spark some debate among fans of the Tomb Raider franchise, as some fans understood it as implying a sacrifice of tomb raiding in favor of traditional dramatic character development. We think it’s a bit of a reach this early into the show’s lifespan—it hasn’t even launched yet, people—but nevertheless fans are concerned.
“And so falls the House of Croft,” said one disappointed follower on Twitter in response to the comments. While I wouldn’t say this is the end of the road for the Lara Croft franchise given the show isn’t out yet, Netflix’s track record with adaptation certainly doesn’t help the case. A quick glance at the state of The Witcher series and its spin-off would be reason enough to feel anxious about what’s coming with the Tomb Raider anime, but not all hope is lost. Or, well, not for everyone.
Popular YouTuber Melonie Mac also posted on Twitter, joking the new anime show will focus on years of drama instead of having Lara actually raid tombs. “Why have a property titled Tomb Raider focus on adventure and tombs when we can spend 17 years on family drama and emotional breakdowns?” she asked.
The comments made by Huo are all too brief to be taken with such severity. Though Netflix’s past adaptations haven’t held up to scrutiny in most cases, perhaps Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft will be a breath of fresh air. After all, the last time we saw Lara was over four years ago, and any more of the iconic grave-robbing adventuress is welcome in my book.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft is expected to arrive via Netflix in 2024.
Published: Nov 25, 2023 10:48 pm