‘Tomb Raider’ Production Faces UK Safety Violations and Sophie Turner’s Injury

Bringing ‘Lara Croft’ to television was always expected to be a physically demanding task, but few anticipated the number of behind-the-scenes challenges that would arise before Amazon’s adaptation even hits screens. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s long-awaited take on the beloved video game franchise has been making headlines for reasons unrelated to its storyline.

The series, featuring Sophie Turner as the iconic tomb-raiding adventurer, previously made news when production had to pause after Turner experienced what a Prime Video spokesperson referred to as a “minor injury.” This shutdown, which lasted approximately two weeks, occurred while Turner was performing many of her own stunts, including a parachute landing, primarily filmed at Shinfield Studios in the UK.

Now, a new report has surfaced revealing that the physical challenges weren’t the only issues affecting the production. According to an exclusive from Deadline, Britain’s Health and Safety Executive found that Project Temple Productions Ltd, the company behind Turner’s ‘Tomb Raider’ series, violated the Health and Safety At Work Act of 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations of 2002 during filming earlier this year.

The ruling specifically addresses how the production managed a known workplace hazard. The HSE discovered that Project Temple Productions Ltd failed to ensure crew members received proper biological monitoring related to the use of isocyanate paints, a substance recognized as a leading cause of occupational asthma. Amazon MGM Studios declined to comment when approached regarding the findings.

Despite the growing behind-the-scenes complications, ‘Tomb Raider’ continues to progress as one of Prime Video’s most anticipated upcoming series. Written by ‘Fleabag’ creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the show began production in January, with Amazon MGM Studios releasing a first-look image of Turner in character as Lara Croft shortly after filming commenced.

The cast surrounding Turner features an impressive lineup of British and international talent, including Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Martin Bobb-Semple, Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Bill Paterson, Paterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, Juliette Motamed, Celia Imrie, and August Wittgenstein. This ensemble has generated significant excitement for the series, despite the rocky production journey.

Waller-Bridge serves as creator, writer, and executive producer, collaborating with Chad Hodge as co-showrunner. Jonathan Van Tulleken is directing and executive producing the series, marking Amazon MGM Studios’ latest effort to adapt the popular video game franchise to a new medium following Angelina Jolie’s and Alicia Vikander’s previous big-screen portrayals of the character.

The safety violation adds yet another layer of complexity to a production that has already dealt with an injury-related shutdown and months of speculation regarding its release timeline. For a show centered around a character known for surviving life-threatening stunts and physical dangers, the real-world production hurdles have proven to be an unexpectedly fitting parallel.

With filming primarily taking place at Shinfield Studios in the UK, the newly disclosed safety breach raises new concerns about workplace conditions on major streaming productions filming abroad, even as anticipation builds for Turner’s portrayal of one of gaming’s most enduring heroines.

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