The comeback of the ‘Tomb Raider’ franchise seems to be facing all kinds of difficulties. Besides the troubles on the video game front, there are issues with what will be the first live-action series based on Lara Croft’s adventures and starring Sophie Turner. The production has endured its own problems, such as filming being halted after the lead actress’s injury, and there could be more going on behind the scenes.
According to reports reaching various outlets, Amazon could be in a new class of trouble with the series’ production. What these reports indicate is that the production may have breached basic health and safety measures within the United Kingdom, as dictated by the HSE, the workplace safety regulator. Amazon has declined to comment on the case, Deadline reports.
Biological Hazard
The measures that would have been the last straw for the United Kingdom government would be the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) of 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations of 2002. The production crew would have used hazardous chemical substances capable of causing asthma-related problems, and the government reportedly had to draw attention to Amazon as early as April. It would have taken the team a month to satisfy the inspecting agents.
It doesn’t sound particularly alarming when you just state the facts, but it’s notable because the United Kingdom is often viewed as a territory relatively lax with these measures. In the last four years only four productions would have drawn the attention of these inspectors, and Tomb Raider would be the highest-profile among them. Added to Turner’s injury, the perception of this first-season production could be far from ideal for Amazon.
Beyond the Series
Image issues for Tomb Raider are also spilling over into the video games, where this year we were treated to the announcement of a new installment in the franchise titled ‘Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis’. The hurdles on that front involve the use of generative AI during development, which Amazon has openly acknowledged it supports and uses despite fan backlash.
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