‘Tomb Raider’ Production Hit with UK Safety Violations, and Sophie Turner’s Injury Wasn’t the Only Trouble

Bringing Lara Croft to television was always going to be a physically demanding undertaking, but few could have predicted just how many behind-the-scenes headaches would pile up before Amazon’s adaptation even reaches screens. Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s long-gestating take on the beloved video game franchise has spent months generating headlines for reasons that have nothing to do with its actual storyline.

The series, which stars Sophie Turner as the iconic tomb-raiding adventurer, already made news earlier this year when production was forced to pause after Turner suffered what a Prime Video spokesperson described at the time as a “minor injury.” That shutdown, which reportedly lasted around two weeks, came as Turner had been performing many of her own stunts, including a parachute landing, while filming primarily at Shinfield Studios in the UK.

Now a new report has revealed that the physical toll wasn’t the only issue plaguing the production. According to an exclusive from Deadline, Britain’s Health and Safety Executive determined that Project Temple Productions Ltd, the entity producing Turner’s ‘Tomb Raider’ series, breached the Health and Safety At Work Act of 1974 as well as the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations of 2002 during filming earlier this year.

The ruling centers specifically on how the production handled a known workplace hazard. HSE found that Project Temple Productions Ltd failed to ensure crew members underwent proper biological monitoring related to the spraying of isocyanate paints, a substance recognized as one of the leading causes of occupational asthma. Amazon MGM Studios declined to comment when approached about the findings.

Despite the mounting behind-the-scenes complications, ‘Tomb Raider’ has continued moving forward as one of Prime Video’s most anticipated upcoming series. Written by Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the show entered production in January, with Amazon MGM Studios unveiling a first-look image of Turner in character as Lara Croft shortly after filming began.

The ensemble cast surrounding Turner reads like a genuine murderer’s row 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. That lineup has helped fuel considerable excitement for the series despite the rocky path to production.

Waller-Bridge serves as creator, writer, and executive producer, working alongside Chad Hodge as co-showrunner. Jonathan Van Tulleken is directing and executive producing the series, which marks Amazon MGM Studios’ latest attempt to bring the popular video game franchise to a new medium following Angelina Jolie’s and Alicia Vikander’s earlier big-screen portrayals of the character.

The safety violation adds yet another complication to a production that’s already navigated an injury-related shutdown and months of speculation about its eventual release timeline. For a show built around a character famous for surviving death-defying stunts and physical peril, the real-world production challenges have proven to be an unexpectedly fitting parallel.

With filming having taken place largely at Shinfield Studios in the UK, the newly revealed safety breach raises fresh questions about workplace conditions on major streaming productions filming overseas, even as anticipation continues building for Turner’s take on one of gaming’s most enduring heroines.

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