Walt Disney’s CEO said today that because of Hollywood’s reaction to the Georgia heartbeat law, it will be very difficult to film in the state if the law goes into effect:
REUTERS – Walt Disney Co Chief Executive Bob Iger told Reuters on Wednesday it would be “very difficult” for the media company to keep filming in Georgia if a new abortion law takes effect because many people will not want to work in the U.S. state.
Disney has filmed blockbuster movies in Georgia such as “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Endgame,” and it would be a blow to the state’s efforts to create production jobs if the entertainment giant stopped filming there.
Asked if Disney would keep filming in Georgia, Iger said it would be “very difficult to do so” if the abortion law is implemented.
“I rather doubt we will,” Iger said in an interview ahead of the dedication for a new “Star Wars” section at Disneyland. “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.”
If the law takes effect, “I don’t see how it’s practical for us to continue to shoot there,” he added.
The state offers a tax credit that has lured many film and TV productions. The industry is responsible for more than 92,000 jobs in Georgia, according to the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), and some 455 productions were shot in Georgia in 2018, according to the state.
Some actors and producers have already said they will no longer work in Georgia because of the abortion law, but many of the large production companies have remained publicly silent on the abortion law.
Unlike Netflix, who joined with the ACLU to try and stop the new pro-life law, Disney’s CEO really didn’t give an opinion on the new law or say the company would have to ‘rethink’ filming in the state if the law goes into effect.
But Iger did suggest they would likely be boycotting the state, but he blamed that on Hollywood’s reaction.
Many people are dumping Netflix after their announcement that they were joining the fight against the new pro-life law. I was totally expecting Iger to say something that might upset people like Netflix did, but he might have played it just safe enough to avoid boycott-level controversy.