Lady in the Lake, a forthcoming Apple TV+ drama series, has hit a major snag.
Production in Baltimore has been halted after producers received threats of violence.
According to Variety, a group of locals contacted producers working on a shoot on Friday, threatening to show up in the evening and shoot someone if production didn’t cease.
Moreover, they were told they would need to pay $50,000 to the group before the series could resume filming.
Now, production will not resume in Baltimore and producers are looking for a new location to resume production.
Lady in the Lake has been shooting since April, so there’s a good chance the project was in the home stretch of 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,” the studio behind the series, Endeavor Content, said in a statement late Sunday.
“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,” the statement continued.
“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.”
The series is set to star Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram.
It is based on the book of the same name and is set in the 1960s.
It follows Maddie Schwartz, a housewife who becomes an investigative journalist after an unsolved murder.
The new career puts her on a collision course with Cleo Sherwood (Moses Ingram).
Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.