Upcoming AppleTV+ series “Lady in the Lake” has been bogged down with production challenges.
First, the Natalie Portman-starring series was set to co-star Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, before the “Black Panther” actress backed out due to unknown circumstances. “Obi-Wan Kenobi” breakout Moses Ingram was cast as Nyong’o’s replacement.
Now, the production has been hit with threats of extortion and gun violence, forcing the series to halt production. Deadline first reported that “Lady in the Lake,” which has been filming in Baltimore for several months, stopped production on Friday, August 26 after several locals threatened producers and tried to extort money from them. Portman and her producing partner Sophie Mas serve as executive producers on the series.
A spokesperson for the Baltimore Police Department said the “Lady in the Lake” crew was filming around 4 p.m. ET in the downtown area when the producers were approached by several people. The group claimed if they didn’t stop filming they would come back and shoot someone; however, no violence would occur if producers paid them an undisclosed amount.
The Baltimore Banner (via Deadline) reported that the extortionists were drug dealers who were seeking $50,000 from production.
Producers stopped filming and sought a new location for production.
“Friday afternoon, on the Baltimore set of our production ‘Lady in the Lake,’ prior to the arrival of the cast and crew, per their call time, a driver on our production crew was confronted by two men, one of whom brandished a gun directed at our driver, and then they fled the location,” a spokesperson for Endeavor Content, the studio behind the AppleTV+ series, stated. “We are working with the Baltimore Police Department as the investigation is ongoing. The safety and security of our crew, cast and all who work across our productions is our highest priority, and we are thankful no one was injured. Production will resume with increased security measures going forward.”
The statement continued, “It has been a privilege filming ‘Lady in the Lake’ in Baltimore, working with its vibrant community across many areas. Our thanks and appreciation to the City of Baltimore, Mayor Brandon M. Scott, the Baltimore Film Office, Maryland Film Office and the Baltimore Police Department for their incredible support as we continue production in the great City of Baltimore and surrounding communities.”
“Lady in the Lake” is based on a novel by former Baltimore Sun reporter and author Laura Lippman. The series is set in 1960s Baltimore, where “an unsolved murder pushes a housewife and mother to reinvent herself as an investigative journalist. That sets her on a collision course with a hard-working woman juggling motherhood, many jobs, and a passionate commitment to advancing Baltimore’s Black progressive agenda,” per an official description.
Ingram stars as Cleo Sherwood, a Black Civil Rights activist whose body is found in a city park lake. Portman plays Jewish housewife Maddie Schwartz, who is determined to discover what really happened.
“Honey Boy” director Alma Har’el wrote the pilot and will co-write the rest of the series with Dre Ryan (“The Man in the High Castle”). Har’el also directs and executive produces.
Lead star Portman previously told Variety that Nyong’o dropping out of the series following a few weeks of filming was “super devastating.”
“I’m a huge fan of hers and was really looking forward to working with her,” Oscar winner Portman shared. “But these things happen.”
Portman added that the “Lady in the Lake” production team has “the best crew I’ve ever worked with, and while it is so much more representative than any other set I’ve worked on, we still have a lot of work to do if we want to truly reflect society.”
Production was slated to conclude this month in August 2022.
First, the Natalie Portman-starring series was set to co-star Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, before the “Black Panther” actress backed out due to unknown circumstances. “Obi-Wan Kenobi” breakout Moses Ingram was cast as Nyong’o’s replacement.
Now, the production has been hit with threats of extortion and gun violence, forcing the series to halt production. Deadline first reported that “Lady in the Lake,” which has been filming in Baltimore for several months, stopped production on Friday, August 26 after several locals threatened producers and tried to extort money from them. Portman and her producing partner Sophie Mas serve as executive producers on the series.
A spokesperson for the Baltimore Police Department said the “Lady in the Lake” crew was filming around 4 p.m. ET in the downtown area when the producers were approached by several people. The group claimed if they didn’t stop filming they would come back and shoot someone; however, no violence would occur if producers paid them an undisclosed amount.
The Baltimore Banner (via Deadline) reported that the extortionists were drug dealers who were seeking $50,000 from production.
Producers stopped filming and sought a new location for production.
“Friday afternoon, on the Baltimore set of our production ‘Lady in the Lake,’ prior to the arrival of the cast and crew, per their call time, a driver on our production crew was confronted by two men, one of whom brandished a gun directed at our driver, and then they fled the location,” a spokesperson for Endeavor Content, the studio behind the AppleTV+ series, stated. “We are working with the Baltimore Police Department as the investigation is ongoing. The safety and security of our crew, cast and all who work across our productions is our highest priority, and we are thankful no one was injured. Production will resume with increased security measures going forward.”
The statement continued, “It has been a privilege filming ‘Lady in the Lake’ in Baltimore, working with its vibrant community across many areas. Our thanks and appreciation to the City of Baltimore, Mayor Brandon M. Scott, the Baltimore Film Office, Maryland Film Office and the Baltimore Police Department for their incredible support as we continue production in the great City of Baltimore and surrounding communities.”
“Lady in the Lake” is based on a novel by former Baltimore Sun reporter and author Laura Lippman. The series is set in 1960s Baltimore, where “an unsolved murder pushes a housewife and mother to reinvent herself as an investigative journalist. That sets her on a collision course with a hard-working woman juggling motherhood, many jobs, and a passionate commitment to advancing Baltimore’s Black progressive agenda,” per an official description.
Ingram stars as Cleo Sherwood, a Black Civil Rights activist whose body is found in a city park lake. Portman plays Jewish housewife Maddie Schwartz, who is determined to discover what really happened.
“Honey Boy” director Alma Har’el wrote the pilot and will co-write the rest of the series with Dre Ryan (“The Man in the High Castle”). Har’el also directs and executive produces.
Lead star Portman previously told Variety that Nyong’o dropping out of the series following a few weeks of filming was “super devastating.”
“I’m a huge fan of hers and was really looking forward to working with her,” Oscar winner Portman shared. “But these things happen.”
Portman added that the “Lady in the Lake” production team has “the best crew I’ve ever worked with, and while it is so much more representative than any other set I’ve worked on, we still have a lot of work to do if we want to truly reflect society.”
Production was slated to conclude this month in August 2022.
