The entertainment industry’s backlash against Georgia’s extremely restrictive anti-abortion law is officially starting to hit, with Time reporting that Emmy-winning Handmaid’s Tale director Reed Morano has chosen not to film her upcoming Amazon show The Power in the state. Morano was supposed to go to Georgia to scout locations this week, but she told Time that the production “had no problem stopping the entire process instantly,” noting that “there is no way we would ever bring our money to that state by shooting there.” A number of famous people have already spoken out against the regressive, dangerous, and evil bill, with Alyssa Milano proposing a “sex strike” until the bill is repealed, but this is one of the first times a production has publicly confirmed that it is avoiding Georgia specifically because of the bill.
The Power isn’t alone, though: Time also says that Kristen Wiig’s Lionsgate comedy Barb And Star Go To Vista Del Mar (which she co-wrote and will star in) has also canceled plans to film in Georgia, and camera operator Tom Jordan who moved to Georgia in 2012 to follow the movie industry says that there’s a “void” in the upcoming slate of projects set to film in Georgia over the summer, saying a lot of productions seems to be planning to “wait and see what happens.”
Meanwhile, advocates for pulling all Hollywood productions from Georgia have been met with their own backlash, with a group called Women Of Film In Georgia noting that a boycott of the state will mostly hurt the film workers who don’t support the ban but still have to live in the state. Morano recognized that impact, telling Time that knowing it could hurt “excellent people” who “deserve to work” was “the hardest part” of the decision, but “having this basic fundamental right for women is more important than anything in this moment in time.”
The Time story also goes into how undeniably huge the entertainment industry has been for Georgia, noting that The Walking Dead single-handedly revitalized an entire town, and a lot of the major players like that have not addressed the anti-abortion bill or the Republican monsters who passed it. For example, Netflix is in the middle of shooting multiple shows in Georgia and pretty much all of the Marvel movies are filmed in the state, but neither would offer any statement to Time about the bill or the boycott. And then there are the supporters of the bill, but who gives a shit about what they think about anything?