Filming for forthcoming TV series Lady In The Lake was paused on Friday (August 26) in Baltimore after an unknown assailant brandished a gun a crew members.
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Production on the Apple TV+ series, which stars Natalie Portman, Moses Ingram, Y’Lan Noel, Mikey Madison and Brett Gelman, was halted as a precautionary measure.
Variety reports that the Baltimore police department confirmed to the publication that a group of locals approached producers working a shoot on Park Avenue in the downtown area at around 4pm on Friday.
The group threatened to return that evening to shoot somebody if filming didn’t stop, and they also told crew that $50,000 would have to be paid before production could resume.
The Park Avenue shoot has since be scrapped and another location is being sought following the threat, the police added.
Series producer Endeavor Content said in a statement: “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.
“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.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 began filming began in April and is expected to continue through this autumn.
The series takes place in Baltimore in 1966 and is adapted from local author Laura Lippman’s novel of the same name. It follows an investigative journalist working on an unsolved murder, who comes at loggerheads with a woman working to advance the agenda of the city’s Black community.
Not my production. Don't know all details. But 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. https://t.co/KtTqybPa0p
— David Simon (@AoDespair) August 28, 2022
David Simon, creator of the Baltimore-set series The Wire and Lippman’s husband, shared a statement in response to the threats.
“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,” he wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, a trailer has been released for AppleTV+ show The Greatest Beer Run Ever starring Zac Efron – check it out here.
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