{"id":956643,"date":"2026-01-02T02:44:27","date_gmt":"2026-01-02T02:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=446607"},"modified":"2026-01-02T02:44:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T02:44:27","slug":"rethinking-lara-croft-was-a-unique-pressure-says-tomb-raider-showrunner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/rethinking-lara-croft-was-a-unique-pressure-says-tomb-raider-showrunner\/","title":{"rendered":"Rethinking Lara Croft was a \u2018unique pressure,\u2019 says Tomb Raider showrunner"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Lara Croft is \u201cadventurous.\u201d She \u201chits hard.\u201d She’s \u201cslick,\u201d \u201csleek,\u201d \u201csexy,\u201d and \u201cproficient in dual-wielding pistols.\u201d And the definition of all those qualities is something different to every player that has stepped into her boots over the last 30 years. So what does Lara Croft need<\/em> to be to be Lara Croft? <\/p>\n

It\u2019s a question that comes up with each iteration of the franchise, and one Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft<\/em> showrunner Tasha Huo confronted head-on, even if she wishes writing for and redesigning one of her favorite heroes for Netflix didn’t feel like navigating a trap-filled Tibetan temple.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf is of course a very unique pressure, by the way: If I was animating Indiana Jones, we would not be having this conversation,\u201d Huo says, correctly. Much internet space has been devoted to analyzing Lara<\/a> as a character born out of a more sexualized era of female hero design, plenty of it considerate<\/a>, but enough focused on bra size<\/a> to make a sane person ugh<\/em>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was unfortunately something we had to think about,\u201d the showrunner says. \u201cBut the answer is also very easy, which is: Make her realistic.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of the drama in Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft<\/em> takes place shortly after the events of the Survivor trilogy of games<\/a>, which started with Tomb Raider<\/em> in 2013 and ended with Shadow of the Tomb Raider<\/em> in 2018. But Huo, chasing her own curiosity, still wanted to make a show that explained how that grittier version of the character connected to the teal-tank-top classic version fans knew from the original games. \u201cI really just wanted to tell the story of how she got there, this kind of in-between phase, this bridge between the Survivor and classic era,\u201d Huo says.<\/p>\n

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