Natalie Portman's show halts production after threats of violence against Baltimore crew

Production of Natalie Portman’s new Apple+ series was called off on Friday after drug dealers descended on their set in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, threatened the crew at gunpoint and tried to extort them for $50,000.

The conflict began when several people approached the set of “Lady in the Lake” around 4 p.m. and claimed if the crew did not stop filming they would come back and shoot someone, a spokesperson for the Baltimore Police Department told Deadline.

The dealers said the production could avoid violence if they were paid a large sum of money, which local outlet The Baltimore Banner reported as $50,000.

The producers declined to pay and decided to halt filming.

“The leaders of the production decided to err on the side of caution and reschedule the shoot after they found another location,” a Baltimore police spokesperson told The Baltimore Banner.

“Lady in the Lake” is a limited TV series adapted from a Laura Lippman novel starring Portman and The Queen’s Gambit star Moses Ingram. The show takes place in 1960s Baltimore, where a white housewife turned investigative reporter’s work on an unsolved murder brings her into conflict with a Black activist.

The studio behind the series, Endeavor Content, confirmed the incident in a statement late Sunday and said they were working with the police’s ongoing investigation.

“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,” read the statement.

The company also thanked city officials for their “incredible support” and said they planned to continue production there.