Given the political climate surrounding Georgia’s implementation of restrictive abortion laws, Disney has employed caution towards filming future projects in the state. In an interview with Reuters, Disney CEO Bob Iger commented that it would be “difficult” to work there if the people involved in their productions are reluctant to film there. In the meantime, Disney will be watching the situation “carefully.”
Lately, Disney has used Georgia location as filming ground for scenes from their most recent blockbusters like Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame. The absence of significant projects such as these could potentially affect 92,000 production jobs currently available in the state. Georgia’s tax credit program to attract filmmakers from other states would be fruitless if actors and producers are unwilling to film there.
The abortion law, which could go into effect January 1st, stipulates that an abortion would be illegal when a heartbeat is detectable. This presents an issue since women do not usually find out they are pregnant until after the heartbeat is noticeable. Bills such these have been passed in states such as Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio, and range in their restrictive nature.
Since the bill will be challenged in court, production by different companies like Netflix will continue for now.
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