There’s a lot going on at Crystal Dynamics right now. Not only is the studio soon going to be acquired by the Embracer Group (alongside Square Enix’s other North American studios), the developer also confirmed earlier this year that it has started development on the next Tomb Raider game, which is being built on the Unreal Engine 5. Interestingly, some early details on the project also seem to have leaked.
The leak comes from the Sacred Symbols podcast (via VGC), and a leaked script being used for casting purposes. As per this script, the next Tomb Raider game, which is internally being called Project Jawbreaker, is being described as “n action adventure game set in a modern-day world rocked by a mysterious cataclysm”. It will seemingly recast protagonist Lara Croft, and will feature a much more experienced version of her.
Allegedly, the familial drama of the reboot Tomb Raider trilogy is being left behind, with the next game in the series portraying a Lara that’s much deeper into her adventuring and treasure hunting career, to the extent that her exploits have also frequently found their way into the tabloids, even having inspired a new generation of tomb raiders.
“With this new phase of her life, Lara fully accepts her place among the ruins. For many years Lara plunged the depths of forgotten places, played cat and mouse with many nefarious opponents, and worked to uncover, preserve, and protect the lost secrets of the world, less they fall into the wrong hands,” the script adds.
“As the years have passed, Lara has become lonely at the top. The beginning of this next chapter presents Lara with a quintessentially adult problem: facing something too big to handle alone. On this new adventure, Lara will encounter a challenge she can only overcome with a team at her side. Collaboration is foreign to her: she’s always succeeded alone, so in this situation she’s a fish out of water.”
For the role of Lara Croft, Crystal Dynamics is allegedly looking for an “authentic” British actress in her mid-30s “in the prototype of Emily Blunt or Rosamund Pike.”
Of course, it’s clear that the next Tomb Raider game is in very early stages of development right now, so it’d be wise not to hold your breath for official details on the game to arrive anytime soon.
Earlier this year, it was announced that the Tomb Raider series has collectively sold over 88 million units, with the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy accounting for 38 million of those.
