Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming Tomb Raider series has run into an unexpected production issue in the UK. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s workplace safety regulator, found that the production company behind the Sophie Turner-led series breached UK health and safety regulations during filming earlier this year. The finding relates specifically to the handling and spraying of isocyanate paints at Shinfield Studios.
The ruling concerns Project Temple Productions Ltd, the special purpose company being used to produce the series. According to the HSE finding, the company failed to ensure that crew members underwent the required “biological monitoring” to establish whether adequate control measures were in place during work involving isocyanate paints. An improvement notice was subsequently issued in April, requiring the production to address the breach.
The company complied with the relevant regulations within a month, according to the HSE notice. Amazon MGM Studios declined to comment on the finding.
What happened on the Tomb Raider set?
The issue identified by the HSE concerns exposure risks associated with isocyanate paints, materials commonly used in industrial and specialist painting applications. The regulator’s guidance warns that spraying these paints can produce an invisible mist that may remain in the air for up to 20 minutes. Because exposure can create serious respiratory risks, employers are expected to establish appropriate controls and ensure workers use suitable protective equipment.
In the case of Tomb Raider, HSE determined that Project Temple Productions Ltd had not ensured that crew members underwent biological monitoring to demonstrate that the control measures were adequately protecting them. The finding resulted in an improvement notice rather than a prosecution being described in the material available for this report. The production subsequently took corrective action and was recorded as having complied with the relevant requirements within the specified period.
An improvement notice is essentially a formal instruction requiring an employer to remedy a health and safety breach. It does not by itself establish that workers were injured or that a specific individual suffered harm from the issue identified by the regulator. The finding instead establishes that the production company needed to take additional measures to meet the applicable workplace safety requirements.
The case is notable partly because formal HSE notices involving television productions are relatively uncommon. According to the supplied report, only four TV productions have been called out by the safety watchdog over the past four years, making Tomb Raider the highest-profile production among them during that period.
Sophie Turner previously suffered an injury
The HSE ruling is not the first production-related setback faced by the Tomb Raider series. Sophie Turner, who plays Lara Croft in Amazon MGM’s adaptation, suffered a minor injury during filming earlier this year. Production was subsequently paused for around two weeks while the actor recovered.
The injury and the safety regulator’s separate finding concern different aspects of the production. There is no indication in the supplied material that Turner’s injury was connected to the isocyanate paint issue identified by HSE. Keeping those events separate is important because the regulator’s notice relates to workplace safety procedures surrounding the use of certain paints rather than establishing a cause for Turner’s injury.
The series began production in January, with Amazon MGM Studios subsequently releasing a first-look image of Turner as the iconic video-game character. Turner’s casting had already generated significant interest because the new series represents another attempt to bring Lara Croft back to live-action television following previous film adaptations.
The project has also assembled an unusually strong supporting cast. Sigourney Weaver, Jason Isaacs, Martin Bobb-Semple, Jack Bannon, John Heffernan, Bill Paterson, Paterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, Juliette Motamed, Celia Imrie and August Wittgenstein are all attached to the series alongside Turner.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge leads the creative team
The series is being developed by Fleabag creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who serves as creator, writer, executive producer and co-showrunner. Chad Hodge is the other co-showrunner and executive producer, while Jonathan Van Tulleken is directing and also executive producing.
Amazon MGM Studios is producing the series for Prime Video in partnership with Crystal Dynamics, the video-game company behind the Tomb Raider franchise. The combination of Waller-Bridge, Turner and the established video-game property has made the project one of Prime Video’s more closely watched upcoming adaptations.
Waller-Bridge’s involvement is particularly significant because her work has often balanced character-driven storytelling with genre elements. Tomb Raider, however, brings a very different challenge, requiring the series to deliver the action and adventure expected from Lara Croft while establishing its own identity for television.
The production company has also brought together a substantial group of executive producers. Waller-Bridge and Jenny Robins executive produce through Wells Street Films, while Dmitri M. Johnson, Michael Lawrence Goldberg and Timothy I. Stevenson are attached through Story Kitchen. Michael Scheel and Legendary Television are also involved, with Matt McInnis serving as co-executive producer and Jan R. Martin as producer.
For now, the HSE matter appears to have been resolved from a regulatory compliance perspective, with Project Temple Productions Ltd complying with the improvement notice within a month. The series itself continues to carry significant expectations because of its cast, creative team and connection to one of gaming’s most recognizable characters.
Tomb Raider Series Safety Ruling: Q&A
What did the HSE find on the Tomb Raider production?
The Health and Safety Executive found that Project Temple Productions Ltd breached UK health and safety regulations during production. The issue concerned biological monitoring and control measures related to the spraying of isocyanate paints.
What are isocyanate paints?
Isocyanate-containing paints can create a fine airborne mist when sprayed. HSE guidance highlights the importance of suitable protective equipment and ensuring that employers understand how long the mist takes to clear from the work area.
Was the Tomb Raider production shut down because of the HSE finding?
The supplied material says HSE issued an improvement notice in April and that Project Temple Productions Ltd complied with the relevant regulations within a month. It does not state that the production was shut down because of the regulatory finding.
Did Sophie Turner’s injury have anything to do with the safety breach?
There is no evidence in the supplied material establishing a connection between Turner’s minor injury and the isocyanate paint issue. Her injury resulted in production being paused for around two weeks, but the two incidents should be treated as separate developments.
Who plays Lara Croft in the new Tomb Raider series?
Sophie Turner plays Lara Croft in Amazon MGM Studios’ upcoming series. Turner is best known for roles including Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones.
Who is making the Tomb Raider series?
Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the creator, writer, executive producer and co-showrunner, with Chad Hodge serving as co-showrunner and executive producer. Amazon MGM Studios is producing the series for Prime Video with Crystal Dynamics.
The HSE finding adds an unexpected chapter to the production history of Amazon MGM’s Tomb Raider, but the regulatory issue has already been addressed according to the watchdog’s notice. The larger focus will now return to the series itself, particularly Sophie Turner’s interpretation of Lara Croft and how Waller-Bridge’s creative vision translates the iconic video-game character to television. With a major ensemble cast and Crystal Dynamics involved, expectations remain high for the Prime Video adaptation.
