Just over a month away from its premiere, Apple TV+ has released the first trailer for its “Lady in the Lake” series, the drama based on the 2019 novel by New York Times bestselling author — and Baltimore resident — Laura Lippman.
The series, set and filmed in Baltimore, stars Academy Award winner Natalie Portman and Emmy nominee Moses Ingram, a Baltimore native and Baltimore School for the Arts alum. (Portman also has local family ties of her own: She revealed in a People magazine interview that her grandmother is from Charm City.)
The limited series will premiere on July 19 with two episodes, followed by new episodes every Friday through Aug. 23.
Ingram’s character, Cleo Johnson, is the first to speak in the haunting trailer: “I saw you once, Maddie Schwartz,” she says of Portman’s character, accompanied by a mysterious score. The two spot one another through a glass display window, as Ingram’s character appears to be a window model in a department store.
Huge spoiler: Within the first 30 seconds of the trailer, it’s revealed that Ingram’s character becomes the titular lady in the lake.
Apple TV+ gives this synopsis of the miniseries: “When the disappearance of a young girl grips the city of Baltimore on Thanksgiving 1966, the lives of two women converge on a fatal collision course. Maddie Schwartz (Portman), is a Jewish housewife seeking to shed a secret past and reinvent herself as an investigative journalist, and Cleo Johnson (Ingram), is a mother navigating the political underbelly of Black Baltimore while struggling to provide for her family. Their disparate lives seem parallel at first, but when Maddie becomes fixated on Cleo’s mystifying death, a chasm opens that puts everyone around them in danger. From visionary director Alma Har’el, ‘Lady in the Lake’ emerges as a feverish noir thriller and an unexpected tale of the price women pay for their dreams.”
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The show, which began filming in Baltimore more than two years ago, was embroiled in its own drama when production was halted in August 2022 after a purported threat. Baltimore Police, citing officers working security on the set, told news media including The Baltimore Banner that drug dealers had been upset with the production, threatened to shoot up the set, and demanded a $45,000 payment, causing production to be shut down for the day.
Police later walked back those allegations, saying the threats of violence and extortion did not appear accurate.
Ingram, who received an Emmy nomination for her role in “The Queen’s Gambit,” would not discuss the incident when interviewed by The Baltimore Banner, but said it was a “really fun set and a great story.” She added, “I’m excited for people to see it. I’m happy that I get to be the person who brings this character to life and to be home and know where I’m at. It’s really, really a good experience.”
Then-Gov. Larry Hogan praised the positive impact the project would have on the state when production company Endeavor Content first announced plans to film in Maryland. Now residents who dealt with blocked streets, increased traffic and looky-loos will at least get a chance to see if “Lady in the Lake” is their new favorite show.