KEY POINTS

  • 'Drug dealers' asked producers to pay $50,000 to continue filming
  • Series executives decided to reschedule filming and scout for another location
  • The mini-series is expected to bring a "significant economic impact" on Maryland

Filming for AppleTV+ series "Lady in the Lake" was halted following violent threats from locals.

The crew for the upcoming mystery drama series stopped working at Park Avenue, Baltimore on Aug. 26 after a group reportedly approached the producers and tried to extort money from them.

The group asked producers to pay $50,000 to allow filming to continue otherwise, they would shoot someone, the Baltimore police department told Variety.

Series executives decided to reschedule filming and scout for another location following the violent threats which were made by alleged drug dealers, the Baltimore Banner reported.

"Lady in the Lake" stars Natalie Portman and is based on a bestselling novel by Laura Lippman released in 2019. Set in 1966, "an unsolved murder pushes a housewife and mother to reinvent herself as an investigative journalist and 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," a description of the series read from the Maryland Department of Commerce.

The mini-series is expected to bring a "significant economic impact" on Maryland according to a news release issued by the region's commerce department in April when filming for the new series began. The cast and crew are expected to film throughout the Baltimore region until October.

No comment has yet been made by AppleTV+ regarding the incident. It is also unclear if the series' production has resumed after the incident.

Series creator David Simon commented on a tweet made earlier by CBS news which said, "The production of the TV series Lady in the Lake was halted on Friday after drug dealers threatened to shoot someone at the downtown Baltimore film set and tried to extort its producers for money, the Baltimore Banner reported on Saturday."

Simon replied," We shot 200 hours of television over two decades. Communicated where we shot. Always a few loudmouths hyping; always folks in crew — locations, security, BPD — trained to firmly but respectfully respond. Baltimore is good people."

Aside from Portman, "Lady in the Lake" also stars Moses Ingram, Sonal Jagasia, Scott Swope and Gavin Peppers, among others.

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85. Natalie Portman - An actress and filmmaker with dual Israeli and American citizenship, Portman has starred in notable roles in many movies throughout her whole career. She has also been prolific in the film media ever since she was a teenager. Unbeknownst to many, Portman is a Harvard University graduate, finishing a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Roy Rochlin/Getty Images