Kong: Skull Island And Tomb Raider Are Getting Their Own Anime Series
Coming off the success it had with its previous anime series — Castlevania and Blood of Zeus — streaming giant Netflix will be delving back into animated action once more with two new additions to its slate: Skull Island and Tomb Raider. Both series are expanding busy franchises that are currently looking forward to the hopeful blockbuster films Godzilla vs. Kong and the as-yet-untitled Tomb Raider sequel. The platform is teaming up with Legendary Television (The Expanse, Carnival Row) to bring these beloved characters into the world of anime.
As Deadline reported, Skull Island will fit into Legendary's Monsterverse. So far, the cinematic universe includes two Godzilla reboot films alongside Kong: Skull Island and the upcoming crossover clash, Godzilla vs. Kong — for which the new trailer is delighting fans. The Tomb Raider series, meanwhile, will pick up with butt-kicking, badass archaeologist Lara Croft in her video game timeline, 25 years after the first installment.
The series mark Kong's return to animation, but Lara's debut
Similar to Kong: Skull Island, the Skull Island series will have its own band of castaways navigating the strange island that's home to terrifying reptilian Skullcrawlers, flying pterodactyl-like Leafwings, and, of course, the giant ape Kong. After a shipwreck, they'll be forced to survive the island's dangers in hope of escaping. Screenwriter Brian Duffield — known for 2017's comedy-horror The Babysitter and 2020's sci-fi horror Underwater — will write and serve as executive producer. It isn't the first time the giant ape has been animated: A sympathetic clone version of him starred in the 2000 cartoon Kong: The Animated Series, in which he wrestled dinosaurs and romped around with his human buddies. However, there's a good chance Skull Island will not be aimed at kids, judging by its Netflix predecessors, which were also done by animation studio Powerhouse Animation.
This will be Lara Croft's first foray into animation, though; well, the first non-playable form of animation, that is. The Tomb Raider series will be written and executive produced by Tasha Huo, who's also working on Netflix's Witcher prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origin, according to Comic Book Resources. These two series just might be an exciting expansion of Hollywood's interest in animation, even as they carry on their respective franchises.