Bob Iger, chief executive of Disney, said they might not carry on shooting in Georgia if the prohibitory abortion law was implemented.
What’s more, his interview with Reuters could be an indication that Hollywood might back out from filming in Georgia. In the past, this state has attracted television and film producers with lavish tax breaks but at the same time has repulsed the industry with its politics.
On Wednesday, Iger declared that people who worked for them might not want to work in Georgia and that they needed to be mindful of that. In one day, two other major companies announced that they were also rethinking about working in Georgia.
NBC Universal released a report on Thursday saying if Georgia’s law was supported, they might change their mind about producing more TV shows and movies there. Besides Disney and NBC, WarnerMedia, the owner of HBO, CNN and other television channels, have comparable thoughts about this matter.
The company elaborated that they would observe the situation, and if it came to Georgia enforcing that law, they wouldn’t be producing anything there anymore.
The chief of content for Netflix, Ted Sarandos, has disclosed this week that his company will reconsider their fundings in Georgia in case the law is put into practice.
Sarandos explained that many women produced in Georgia and that this law would restrict them. He also stated that this was the reason why they worked with the American Civil Liberty Union and others to oppose this law in court.
Bearing in mind that this law is not yet enforced, they plan to carry on filming, but at the same time, they plan to give support to partners and artists who opt to fight against it.
Governor Brian Kemp ratified the law on May 7, and by doing that, he put a ban on the abortion after six weeks of pregnancy. Furthermore, doctors claim that at that time they can find a fetal heartbeat, and also, they say that, sometimes, women don’t even know they are pregnant during that period.
This law is to be questioned in the court prior to putting it into effect, and anti-abortion activists have hope that it will lead to the Supreme Court reassessing its 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling which made abortion legal in the U.S.
The Reaction to the Said Law
A number of celebs have given their word that they will avoid the state, while others have said that they are going to give a contribution to the ones opposing this law.
A couple of studios stated in 2016 that they would avoid the state if the rule which would make opposition of same-sex marriage stronger was enforced. That bill actually passed state congress, but the governor at that time, Nathan Deal, put a veto on the bill in order to prevent mass departure of businesses from the state.
The state of Georgia has become a great destination for filming over the last decade, generating $2.7 billion in income. The reason why production houses decided to do business there is because of 20% tax credit that they can lay claim to, and also, 10% in case they use the state’s peach logo in the closing credits. Disney and Netflix have filmed a number of movies there.