Apple series Lady in the Lake stops filming in Baltimore after violent threat

Led by Oscar winner Natalie Portman, Lady in the Lake is an adaptation of author Laura Lipman's 2019 novel and is being directed by filmmaker Alma Har'el of Honey Boy fame.

Natalie Portman plays the lead role in Apple TV Plus series Lady in the Lake. (Photos: AppleTVPlus/Twitter, natalieportman/Instagram)

The production on upcoming Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake was halted in the US state of Maryland after the show’s team received a threat of violence. The incident happened at Park Avenue in Baltimore’s downtown area where the crew was approached by a group of locals at around 4 pm on Friday, reported entertainment news outlet Variety.

According to a statement from the Baltimore Police Department, “the locals” warned the team that they would “come back later this evening (and) shoot someone” if they didn’t stop filming.

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Afterwards the group told the producers that they would “allow the production to continue” if they are paid USD 50,000. The team declined to pay and instead, decided to stop filming until a new location was found. The producers of the series are yet to officially comment on the incident.

Led by Oscar winner Natalie Portman, Lady in the Lake is an adaptation of author Laura Lipman’s 2019 novel and is being directed by filmmaker Alma Har’el of Honey Boy fame. Har’el is collaborating with The Man In The High Castle writer Dre Ryan for the series.

The story takes place in 1960s Baltimore, where an unsolved murder pushes housewife and mother, Maddie Schwartz (Portman), to reinvent her life as an investigative journalist.

It sets her on a collision course with Cleo Sherwood, a hard-working woman juggling motherhood, many jobs and a passionate commitment to advancing Baltimore’s Black progressive agenda. Lady In The Lake, which hails from Endeavor Content, is produced by Crazyrose and Bad Wolf America.

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