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Natalie Portman Apple TV+ Series Halts Filming Following Local Threats
Filming for Natalie Portman's upcoming Apple TV+ show, Lady in the Lake, has come to a halt following threats of violence from Baltimore locals. The miniseries, based on Laura Lippman's 2019 novel of the same name, takes place in the 1960s and follows Maddie Schwartz, an aspiring investigative journalist, as she seeks to unravel the mysterious death of young mother and progressive activist, Cleo Sherwood. The streaming service announced the project back in March 2021, with Portman and Lupita Nyong'o originally signing on to play Schwartz and Sherwood, respectively.
All episodes of Lady in the Lake are set to be directed by creator Alma Har'el, who previously gained recognition with the release of her critically acclaimed feature film debut, Honey Boy. In addition to Portman, the rest of the series' cast includes Y'Lan Noel, Mikey Madison, Brett Gelman, Noah Jupe, Mike Epps, and Byron Bowers. In surprising news, it was revealed back in May that Nyong'o would be exiting the show for reasons unknown, with the role of Cleo Sherwood eventually being offered to Moses Ingram. The Emmy-nominated actress is perhaps best known for portraying Jolene in The Queen's Gambit, though she has also appeared in Disney+'s Obi-Wan Kenobi and the 2021 adaptation of The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Production on Lady in the Lake began in Baltimore several months ago, though now, as reported by Deadline, filming is being put on pause due to threats from locals. According to the Baltimore Police Department, the crew was filming in the downtown area, and producers were met by a group of people who "claimed if they didn’t stop filming they would come back and shoot someone." The individuals requested to be paid an unspecified amount, which resulted in the whole production halting in order to find a new location. It is also reported that The Baltimore Banner claims "drug dealers attempted to extort $50,000 from the production, which producers declined to pay."
This is a rather unique reason for a production delay, and one that has likely caused a fair amount of concern among those working on Lady in the Lake. This past year has seen a number of disturbing incidents disrupt productions, from the fatal shooting on the set of Western film Rust to the Justified revival being affected by a real life gun fight and a separate explosive device. In the case of Lady in the Lake, no one seems to have been harmed, thankfully. It's smart of the producers to exercise caution and shift the series to a new location, which will hopefully ensure the safety of everyone involved.
It will be interesting to see if the current production pause affects Lady in the Lake's eventual release. While it seems likely that a new filming location will be found sooner than later, there may still be issues related to potential reshoots or having to match any footage already shot. With no premiere date set, there isn't a particularly pressing rush to find a new place for production. However, after this unnerving experience, the Lady in the Lake cast and crew likely wish to move on as swiftly as possible.
