Following death threats, Natalie Portman's Apple TV+ series' shooting halted
Hollywood actor Natalie Portman's Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake witnessed a forced suspension in filming. The shoot was going as per schedule in Baltimore on Friday when a gang of local drug dealers reportedly threatened to "shoot someone" on the set. Reports suggest that the gang made the threat in order to extort $50,000 from the makers. Read on.
Why does this story matter?
The Lady in the Lake is a limited Apple TV+ series that stars Portman along with Moses Ingram (Obi-Wan Kenobi) in the lead. It is an adaptation of author Laura Lippman's The New York Times best-selling book of the same name. The novel tells the story of a housewife—Maddie Schwartz—who tries to reinvent her life as a journalist and investigates an unsolved murder.
'Locals' warned producers they would 'shoot someone'
According to a statement provided by the Baltimore Police Department, residents of the area warned the makers that they would "come back later this evening [and] shoot someone" if they continued to film in that area. The Los Angeles Times reported a police statement that said the producers were allegedly told by "locals" that they would "allow" production if they paid $50,000.
Driver from crew was 'confronted' by two men
The productions' studio, Endeavor Content told The Hollywood Reporter that prior to the arrival of the cast and crew on Friday afternoon, a driver from the crew was "confronted by two men." One of them "brandished a gun directed" to the driver and then "fled the location." As per reports, neither Portman nor Ingram was present when the shocking incident took place.
Production to resume at new location with increased security measures
"The leaders of the production decided to err on the side of caution and reschedule the shoot after they found another location," police personnel told the Times following the incident. The production house also sent out a statement that said, "Production will resume with increased security measures going forward" and that they were thankful that no one was injured.
