The writers’ strike does the world a favor by delaying the ‘Marvel-style’ ‘Tomb Raider’ universe nobody asked for

Kevin Feige’s legacy might be that of being the architect behind the single most successful film and television franchise there’s ever been, but he’s also the culprit responsible for so many properties hopping on the bandwagon to try and construct a “Marvel-style universe.” Tomb Raider definitely doesn’t need to be one of them, but it’s happening anyway.

Having decided that a direct sequel to the Alicia Vikander-fronted reboot – which earned $275 million at the box office, by the way – wasn’t worth the hassle, Amazon’s acquisition of MGM saw the project abandoned altogether. Instead, Prime Video is developing a shared mythology that’s set to span film, television, live-action, animation, and video games.

This is coming at the same time as Netflix reportedly renewed its own animation for a second season, leading many to rightly question why the world needs so much Tomb Raider content. One of the very few creative players announced so far is Fleabag creator and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who offered a vague update to Deadline at the latter’s premiere.

“It’s all very much the writers’ strike at the moment, so, we’re all taking a break. But if that all gets sorted, I’m working on Tomb Raider.”

The writers’ strike is a tense situation that doesn’t show any sign of resolving itself anytime soon, but at least those infuriated by the mere knowledge that a “Marvel-style” Tomb Raider universe exists will be able to sleep soundly knowing that it’s a ways away from coming to fruition.