Keeley Hawes – known for the likes of Spooks, Bodyguard, Line of Duty, Ashes to Ashes and many, many more – has been spotted on the set of Amazon’s upcoming Tomb Raider series.
In addition to her extensive film and television career, Hawes voiced Lara Croft for over a decade, with mainline entries Tomb Raider Legend, Anniversary and Underworld, as well as spin-offs Lara Croft: Guardian of the Light, Temple of Osiris and Reloaded, all featuring her crisp English accent and grunts of exertion.
Now, Hawes looks primed (pun intended) to star in Amazon’s upcoming Tomb Raider series, with many speculating she will play Lara’s mother, Lady Amelia Croft. While at the time of writing nothing has been officially announced by Amazon, if this does prove to be the case it would be a rather charming little Easter egg for series fans.
In Hawes’ Tomb Raider Underworld, Lara is searching for her mother, who following a plane crash many years prior was supposedly sent to Helhiem, an afterlife location in Norse mythology. Having her now play Lara’s mother would feel rather like a touching passing of the torch.
As for how her character looks in the show, British tabloid The Sun took a photo of Hawes on the Tomb Raider set, where she was being flanked by two figures in dark clothing and masks (see below).
Other cast members confirmed for Amazon’s Tomb Raider include Sophie Turner as Lara Croft, Jason Isaacs as Lara’s Uncle Atlas, Martin Bobb-Semple as Zip, Bill Paterson as Winston and Celia Imrie as Francine (that is to say, the Head of Advancement at the British Museum, who is “focused solely on raising funds and glasses of champagne”).
Phoebe Waller-Bridge – who along with Fleabag is also known for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Killing Eve and Crashing – will serve as the show’s creator, writer, executive producer and co-showrunner.