The first season of Netflix’s Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft may have only just premiered, but its star, Hayley Atwell, is already thinking about her future as its iconic titular heroine. That’s inevitable, given not only the character’s enduring popularity, but also how The Legend of Lara Croft season 1 ends. The season’s finale notably introduces in its closing moments a new conspiracy for Atwell’s Lara to investigate moving forward.
For her part, Atwell has made it clear that she wants to keep playing the beloved Tomb Raider protagonist however she can. “To continue to be involved or to be involved in another way with [Lara Croft] would be an absolute dream and also a responsibility I would take seriously given how beloved and known she is …,” the actress said in a recent interview with GamesRadar+.
Atwell confessed that she had “an absolute blast” working on Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft season 1, adding, “I’ve loved working with [director Meredith Layne] and [showrunner Tasha Huo] on this.” The Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning and Marvel Cinematic Universe star then went on to reaffirm her interest in reprising her role as Lara in either a future season of the Netflix series or a different project altogether. “I would be completely honored to carry on in some way, or to have Lara in my life in a different capacity, for sure,” she pointedly noted.
The future of The Legend of Lara Croft is slightly unclear right now. Netflix has not officially announced a second season of the series, but it was reported by The Hollywood Reporter in 2023 that the show’s initial pick-up included a two-season order. That suggests that another season of The Legend of Lara Croft is already on the way, but fans will have to wait for some official update from Netflix before they know with any real certainty what lies in store for the show.
Outside of the animated series, Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge is currently developing a Tomb Raider TV show with Amazon. Atwell could very well end up in contention for that series. After all, not only does she look the part of Lara Croft, but she’s also proven now that she can embody the spirit of the character with her voice alone. Marvel and Mission: Impossible fans alike know that Atwell is capable of pulling off the kind of action that a Tomb Raider TV show would demand, too.
Only time will tell whether her desire to continue playing her Legend of Lara Croft role ultimately bears any fruit. Either way, it’s clear she’s already grown quite attached to the Tomb Raider heroine.
Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft season 1 is streaming now on Netflix.