'Tomb Raider' and 'Skull Island' anime series are coming to Netflix

King Kong from Kong: Skull Island
King Kong as he appears in 'Kong: Skull Island.' (Image credit: Warner Bros.)

Netflix has announced Tomb Raider and Skull Island animes will be joining their growing roster of animated adaptations.

In a press release, Netflix revealed they’re working with Legendary Television on two more animated shows. The first will be based on Square Enix’s Tomb Raider franchise, and the second expands on Legendary Pictures’ King Kong reboot, Kong: Skull Island.

The Tomb Raider anime is based on game developer Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montreal’s recent trilogy of games. The Tomb Raider anime series will pick up after the events of the final game, Shadow of the Tomb Raider. The video game franchise has sold over 81 million copies worldwide in the 25 years since its inception.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Lara Croft appear outside of video games, but it will be the first time the legendary tomb raider has ever appeared in an anime. This new series will be an all-new globetrotting adventure for Lara, one not seen in either the movie or video game Tomb Raider franchises. 

Tasha Huo (Witcher: Blood Origin, Red Sonja) is writing the series and will executive produce alongside dj2 Entertainment Founder and CEO Dmitri M. Johnson (Sonic the Hedgehog), Stephan Bugaj and Howard Bliss and Jacob Robinson, under his company Tractor Pants.

It joins the ranks of Netflix's expanding roster of animated series based on video games. There's already a Resident Evil series in production, and we're currently awaiting the fourth season of Netflix's Castlevania anime, too!

Elsewhere, the Tomb Raider live-action sequel has a new writer-director, in the form of Misha Green of Lovecraft Country fame.

The Skull Island anime series is also being labelled ‘a new chapter in Legendary’s MonsterVerse franchise.’ It will apparently follow “shipwrecked characters desperate to escape the most dangerous place on Earth—a mysterious island home to prehistoric monsters, including the greatest titan of them all, Kong.”

The Skull Island anime will be written by Brian Duffield (Underwater, The Babysitter) and executive produced by Duffield and Jacob Robinson, again under his company Tractor Pants.

The MonsterVerse is about to expand with the latest entry, Godzilla Vs. Kong, coming very soon. Sadly, the release date was just pushed back by a week, so we’ll have to wait just a little bit longer to see the two titular titans face off.

No release dates or further information for the Tomb Raider and Skull Island anime series have been given just yet.

This isn’t the first time Netflix and Legendary Television have collaborated. They are also currently in production on the previously announced anime series Pacific Rim: The Black.

Martin Shore
Staff Writer at WhatToWatch.com

Martin was a Staff Writer with WhatToWatch.com, where he produced a variety of articles focused on the latest and greatest films and TV shows. Now he works for our sister site Tom's Guide in the same role.

Some of his favorite shows are What We Do In The Shadows, Bridgerton, Gangs of London, The Witcher, Doctor Who, and Ghosts. When he’s not watching TV or at the movies, Martin’s probably still in front of a screen playing the latest video games, reading, or watching the NFL.