Amazon MGM’s Tomb Raider series — starring Sophie Turner as Lara Croft and created by Phoebe Waller-Bridge — has had a bumpy production in 2026, and a newly surfaced ruling adds another chapter to that story. The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirmed that the production violated British safety laws at Shinfield Studios earlier this year, making it the highest-profile TV production to receive such a ruling in four years.
Here’s a full breakdown of what happened, what the violation involved, and what’s next for one of Prime Video’s most anticipated upcoming series.
What Did the HSE Actually Find?
The ruling, which was first reported by Deadline, concluded that Project Temple Productions Ltd — the production vehicle behind the Tomb Raider series — breached two pieces of UK legislation: the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (more commonly known as COSHH).
The specific issue centred on how the production handled isocyanate paints — a substance that is, according to the HSE, one of the leading causes of occupational asthma in the UK. The problem was not that the production was using these paints — they’re commonly used in film and TV set construction and prop making. The problem was that the required safety protocols around their use were not in place.
Specifically, HSE found that crew members had not undergone the required biological monitoring — typically urine sampling — that verifies whether the control measures in place for limiting workers’ exposure to isocyanates during spraying are actually effective. This monitoring is legally required under COSHH and is separate from simply wearing protective equipment.
Why Is Isocyanate Paint Dangerous?
This is worth understanding in detail, because isocyanate exposure is genuinely serious. The substance is commonly used in two-pack (2K) paint systems and protective coatings because of their durability, but they come with a significant health caveat: when sprayed, isocyanate paints create an invisible mist that cannot be detected by the naked eye under normal conditions. This mist can spread through an entire workspace and persist in the air for up to 20 minutes or longer depending on the space and ventilation setup before it clears.
The particular danger of isocyanate exposure is what happens once someone is sensitised to it. Once a person develops occupational asthma from isocyanate exposure, even tiny subsequent quantities of the substance can trigger a severe asthma attack — effectively making it impossible for them to work around the material again. This is a life-altering outcome. The HSE requires employers to know and communicate the specific clearance time for the space where spraying takes place, ensure no one enters the area without appropriate breathing equipment before that clearance time has elapsed, and run biological monitoring to verify the whole system is working.
Under HSE guidance, biological monitoring serves as the early warning system — it detects whether a worker is being exposed even when visible control measures appear to be in place. Without it, the system has no feedback mechanism to catch problems before they cause permanent harm.
What Happened After the Ruling?
The HSE issued two improvement notices to Project Temple Productions on April 27, 2026. According to HSE records, the production company complied with one notice on the same day it was issued, and with the second by May 19, 2026 — within a month of the initial ruling. The HSE records list both notices as “Complied with,” meaning the corrective steps required were taken.
Crucially, there are no reported injuries tied to this specific violation, and no further legal action has been taken. Amazon MGM Studios declined to comment to Deadline on the ruling.
The swift compliance is worth noting. HSE improvement notices give companies a deadline to fix the identified problems, and the Tomb Raider production met the required standards relatively quickly. That doesn’t erase the original failure, but it does indicate the production took the ruling seriously once it arrived.
How Rare Is This Kind of Ruling?
Quite rare, actually. HSE does not typically issue improvement notices against TV productions, and the Tomb Raider series is now reportedly the highest-profile TV production to receive such a ruling in four years, with only a handful of productions receiving HSE notices in that entire window. For context: this is the kind of enforcement action more commonly associated with manufacturing facilities, auto body shops, and construction sites — industries where isocyanate paint use is routine and well-understood. A major Amazon drama landing on this list is unusual.
This Isn’t the First Issue With the Tomb Raider Production
The HSE ruling is the second significant disruption to hit the production in 2026. Back in March, Sophie Turner suffered an injury on set — reported to be an aggravation of a pre-existing back injury — which paused filming for approximately two weeks while she recovered. The cast and crew were reportedly paid during the hiatus, and production resumed once Turner was cleared to return.
To be clear: the two incidents are completely separate and unrelated. The HSE ruling concerns the handling of isocyanate paints by crew members in a production department context — it has nothing to do with Turner’s injury, which is understood to have occurred during a stunt sequence. But two high-profile setbacks within a single production year, on what is already one of the most anticipated shows on Prime Video, is the kind of pattern that gets noticed regardless of whether they’re connected.
What Is the Tomb Raider Series?
For anyone who hasn’t been following the show’s development: Amazon’s Tomb Raider series is a live-action Prime Video adaptation of the iconic video game franchise, produced in partnership with Crystal Dynamics. Production officially began on January 19, 2026 at Shinfield Studios in the UK.
The show is created, written, and executive produced by Phoebe Waller-Bridge — the BAFTA-winning mind behind Fleabag and Killing Eve — who co-showruns alongside Chad Hodge. Directing is handled by Jonathan Van Tulleken. Sophie Turner, best known as Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, plays Lara Croft — the third actress to take on the role in live-action, following Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander.
The cast around Turner is genuinely impressive. Sigourney Weaver plays Evelyn Wallis, described as “a mysterious, high-flying woman who is keen to exploit Lara’s talents.” Jason Isaacs plays Atlas DeMornay, Lara’s uncle. The full ensemble also includes Martin Bobb-Semple as Zip (Lara’s tech support), Bill Paterson as Winston the butler, Paterson Joseph, Sasha Luss, Juliette Motamed, Celia Imrie, and Keeley Hawes — who played Lara Croft in the original video games as her voice actress, now reportedly appearing on screen in a role that’s sparked speculation she’ll play Lara’s mother.
When Will the Show Come Out?
No release date has been announced. Given that production only started in January 2026 and has already faced a two-week pause plus a regulatory compliance period, the timeline has clearly been affected by the year’s disruptions. Post-production on a show of this scale and ambition — with stunts, effects, and a premium budget — typically takes many months after filming wraps. A 2027 release seems like the most realistic expectation at this point, though nothing official has been confirmed.
The good news is that none of the production issues so far appear to be show-stopping. The safety violation was resolved promptly, Turner recovered from her injury, and filming has continued. But given the show’s rocky start — major productions rarely get this much attention for behind-the-scenes turbulence before a single frame of finished footage has been seen publicly — Waller-Bridge and Amazon are going to need the actual show to do a lot of heavy lifting when it eventually arrives. High-profile licensed adaptations carry a lot of expectation, and this one has been building pressure for years.
The ingredients are there — the creative team, the cast, the IP — but getting to the finish line cleanly has already proved harder than expected. Here’s hoping the rest of production goes more smoothly than the first half.
