Summary
Natalie Portman’s new Apple mystery seriesLady in the Lakelays the groundwork for her potential return to the Star Wars franchise.Based on the 2019 bestselling novel by Laura Lippman,Lady in the Lakestars Oscar winnerNatalie Portman in her first-ever leading rolein a television series. Portman leads an exceptionalcast inLady in the Lakewhich also includes rising star actress Moses Ingram, future Superman David Corenswet, and Mikey Madison, the star of this year’s Palme d’Or winnerAnoraby Sean Baker.
Lady in the Lakehas opened to positive reviews, earning a 77% on Rotten Tomatoes.Portman plays Maddie Schwartz, a Jewish housewife in 1966 Baltimorewho leaves her restrictive family life behind to follow her true passion of becoming an investigative journalist. While Portman won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her leading role as Nina Sayers in Darren Aronofsky’sBlack Swan, she is arguably best known for starring as Padmé in George Lucas’Star Warsprequel trilogy.
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Natalie Portman Is Frequently De-Aged As A Teenager In Lady In The Lake
Portman could theoretically appear again as Padmé by the same method
Lady in the Lakeuses many flashbacks in its narrative and has used de-aging technology to portray Portman’s character Maddie as a teenager. While it is still pretty clear that de-aging technology was used on both Portman and David Corenswet, who plays Allan Durst in the series,the effects are not distracting and actually work quite wellfor the purposes of the series. There are only a few scenes that portray Portman’s younger character inLady in the Lakeepisodes 1 & 2.
De-aging technology has come such a long way that it’s likely to be utilized more and morein future movies and television series. Theoretically, a future Star Wars installment could employ the same de-aging methods to feature Portman once more as Padmé. Since Padmé obviously dies in the final prequel movie giving birth to Luke and Leia Skywalker, it wouldn’t make sense for Portman to reprise the role as her older self.
Natalie Portman’s TV Show De-Aging Proves Her Padmé Return Could Actually Work In Star Wars
De-aging Portman may be Star Wars fans' only hope of her franchise return
Lady in the Lakeshowed that de-aging Portman is a viable possibility for her other movies and television series. At this point in her career, it’s really the only way to accomplish having Portman return in a Star Wars project.Lady in the Lakedemonstrated that she is willing to do it and it doesn’t look too bad, although like many AI-generated images, it is still noticeable and in some cases appears inhuman. However, If Star Wars fans wish for Portman to return to the franchise during the timeline where Padmé is still alive, de-aging her may be their only hope.
Lady in the Lake
Cast
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY LAURA LIPPMAN, LADY OF THE LAKE IS A FICTIONAL DRAMA MINISERIES BASED AROUND THE REAL DISAPPEARANCES OF A YOUNG GIRL AND A WOMAN, COMING TO APPLE TV+. THE STORY CENTERS AROUND MADELINE SCHWARTZ, A DISSATISFIED 1960S HOUSEWIFE OF TWENTY YEARS WHO ENDS HER MARRIAGE IN SEARCH OF A LIFE WITH MEANING. MADELINE, BETTER KNOWN AS MADDIE, SEEKS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD - TO DO SO, SHE HEADS DOWN THE PATH OF AN INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST AFTER SOMEHOW HELPING THE BALTIMORE POLICE FIND THE BODY OF A YOUNG GIRL IN THE LAKE, CLEO SHERWOOD. LADY IN THE LAKE HAS NOIR ELEMENTS AND EXPLORES STATUS AND RACE IN A MURDER MYSTERY IN A DIFFERENT PERIOD. THE SERIES HAS BEEN DELAYED DUE TO AN INCIDENT IN LATE 2022 BUT IS STILL SET TO COME TO APPLE TV+ IN THE FUTURE.
