Two Production Companies Pledge To No Longer Film In Georgia

Bella Breakdown

Georgia is already seeing the effects of its decision to ban abortions. After Brian Kemp, governor of Georgia, signed a law banning abortions after six weeks Hollywood production companies have begun to take the southern state off of their filming location list.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Georgia’s tax incentives make it a popular location to shoot films and television series. (For example, “Black Panther,” “The Walking Dead,” and “Stranger Things” have all been shot in the state.)

However, David Simon, who created HBO’s ‘The Wire’ and now runs Blown Deadline Productions wrote on Twitter on Wednesday: “I can’t ask any female member of any film production with which I am involved to so marginalize themselves or compromise their inalienable authority over their own bodies. I must undertake production where the rights of all citizens remain intact.”

Following in Simon’s footsteps, Killer Films CEO Christine Vachon, the company responsible for ‘Vox Lux’ and ‘Carol’ has also decided to take her films elsewhere. “Killer Films will no longer consider Georgia as a viable shooting location until this ridiculous law is overturned.”

Actor and producer Mark Duplass, who has produced many HBO shows with his brother as part of their production company has asked many of his friends to also take their big budget projects out of Georgia due to this ban.

“Don’t give your business to Georgia,” he wrote on Thursday. “Will you pledge with me not to film anything in Georgia until they reverse this backward legislation?”

While these three companies have been outspoken about discontinuing their filming in Georgia other major film companies have yet to follow suit. The Motion Picture Association of America did put out a statement in regards to the new ban, which doesn’t go into effect until 2020, and told THR that they are “monitoring” the legislation.

“It is important to remember that similar legislation has been attempted in other states, and has either been enjoined by the courts or is currently being challenged. The outcome in Georgia will also be determined through the legal process. We will continue to monitor developments.”

Watch the video above to see how Hollywood is dealing with the abortion ban.