Hollywood Studios Decides relocation from Georgia Over Abortion Law

Indeed Netflix and Disney are not left alone anymore; Now NBC Universal, AMC, Viacom, AT&T’s WarnerMedia and Sony are all in agreement, pledging they might have to stop film production, TV shows as well as relocate from Georgia if the state abortion law goes into effect.

Netflix who made the move first disclosed few days back that the company is currently rethinking their entire investment in Georgia, adding that women working on production in Georgia alongside millions of others will be restricted by the controversial abortion law. Netflix is a statement however further disclosed that the studio will continue filming, given that the abortion law has not yet been implemented.  

Netflix shoots Stranger Things and plans to produce its upcoming Holidate in the state.  Similarly, Disney announced the company plans to continue producing some of its biggest movies in Georgia once the abortion law is effective. Specifically, the abortion ban once implemented will prevent women from having their procedure done once a doctor can discover a fetus heartbeat.

Nevertheless, losing both Netflix and Disney would be a huge fall back for Georgia, most especially in the aspect of annual tax credit revenue. Convinced that the abortion law would be going into effect on January 1, 2020, Disney CEO Bob Iger told Reuters that annual windfall might soon begin to drop dramatically most especially as it would be quite difficult to film in Georgia. Disney is however also planning to produce Disney + movies like Encore in Georgia.

“I think many people who work for us will not want to work there, and we will have to heed their wishes in that regard. Right now we are watching it very carefully,” Iger told Reuters.

Furthermore, Universal, AMC, Viacom, AT&T’s WarnerMedia and Sony has offered a similar decision, stating that Georgia might not be a viable location for film production once the abortion law is passed. AT&T’s WarnerMedia precisely announced its reconsidering Georgia as the home to any future production, adding that it will work closely with its team to determine where to shoot new projects.