Natalie Portman Signs First-Look TV Deal With Apple TV+
Word recently broke that Natalie Portman would be headed to Apple TV+ with the limited series Lady in the Lake, which also stars Lupita Nyong'o. Now it looks like Lady in the Lake is just the beginning of Portman's relationship with Apple, as Portman has signed a first-look TV deal with Apple along with her producing partner Sophie Mas. It's the first deal Portman and Mas have signed through their newly formed production company, MountainA.
When it comes to new-ish streaming services, Apple TV+ doesn't seem to generate as much buzz as, say, Disney+ or HBO Max. And yet, the company continues to attract big talent. So far, Apple TV+ has deals with Oprah Winfrey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kerry Ehrin, Malala Yousafzai, Monica Beletsky, Sharon Horgan, Alena Smith, Alfonso Cuaron, Jason Katims, Lee Eisenberg, Simon Kinberg, as well as internationally recognized studios including Appian Way, the film and television production company founded by Leonardo DiCaprio and co-run by Jennifer Davisson; Idris Elba's Green Door Pictures; Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions; A24; and Imagine Documentaries. Hell, they even have a new Martin Scorsese movie in the works.
And now they've just signed a deal with Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas and their newly formed production company, MountainA. This marks the first producing deal for the pair. This comes on the heels of the announcement that Portman would star in the Apple TV+ series Lady in the Lake, which will also star Lupito Nyong'0 and be directed and co-written by Alma Har'el. Portman, Nyong'0, and Har'el will all serve as executive producers on that series with Dre Ryan, who will co-create and co-write the series with Har'el. It's set to be Portman's TV debut, and she and Mas will also executive produce via MountainA. Lady in the Lake "takes place in 60s Baltimore, where an unsolved murder pushes housewife and mother, Maddie Schwartz (Portman) to reinvent her life as an investigative journalist and sets her on a collision course with Cleo Sherwood (Nyong'o), a hard-working woman juggling motherhood, many jobs and a passionate commitment to advancing Baltimore's Black progressive agenda."
As for the new deal with MountainA and Apple TV+, it allows Apple TV+ to "have a first look on television projects to be developed and produced by Portman and Mas." Portman took some time off from acting, with her last role being in 2019's Lucy in the Sky (a movie that didn't go over so well). But now it looks like she's back at it. Not only does she have this new deal and Lady in the Lake, but she's also currently filming Thor: Love and Thunder.