It’s the controversial bill that’s forcing Hollywood to pull all of their productions out of Georgia.
Georgia lawmakers recently passed a bill that would effectively illegalize abortions once a heartbeat is detected, which is why HB-481 is also known as the “heartbeat abortion bill,” and Governor Brian Kemp signed it into law a little over a week ago.
But Gov. Kemp made Hollywood liberals furious when he said this about a certain part of the industry.
When the “Heartbeat abortion bill” passed the Georgia House with 92 votes in late March, many famous actors (approximately 50) signed a pledge refusing to work in the state due to the controversial bill.
And it was all but a foregone conclusion Governor Kemp would sign the bill into law because he immediately noted after it passed, “Georgia values life. We stand up for the innocent and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. The legislature’s bold action reaffirms our priorities and who we are as a state. I thank these lawmakers for their leadership and applaud their undeniable courage.”
Georgia is one of Hollywood’s go-to places in North America to shoot its television and film productions due to the generous tax incentive the state offers in order to stimulate local economies.
In 2018 alone, Georgia injected an estimated $11.5 billion in extra stimulus over the course of the whole year. Approximately 350 productions travel to Georgia every year to take advantage of mitigating production budget risks. Even Marvel does it because both “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame” were both filmed there.
But ever since the “heartbeat abortion bill” passed (it hasn’t become law just yet), Hollywood liberals are boycotting filming anything in the state. Productions are pulling out of Georgia right and left.
And Gov. Kemp couldn’t care less.
The Georgia governor recently appeared at a GOP convention where he said, “I understand that some folks don’t like this new law. I’m fine with that. We’re elected to do what’s right – and standing up for precious life is always the right thing to do. We are the party of freedom and opportunity. We value and protect innocent life — even though that makes C-list celebrities squawk.”
These narcissists believe they are huge stars even if they aren’t. One of the actresses Gov. Kemp was likely referring to was Alyssa Milano who recently announced on Twitter to join her in a female “sex strike” because of the new abortion bills in Georgia and Alabama.
When the bill passed the Georgia House, actors and filmmakers pounced on issuing a statement revealing they would never shoot another project there again if Kemp signed it into law.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, actor Jason Bateman, along with director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer, are the latest to join the boycott.
Bateman’s hit Netflix show “Ozark” films in Georgia even though it takes place in Missouri; while Howard and Grazer were scheduled to shoot the Netflix movie “Hillbilly Elegy,” based on the hugely popular conservative book was planning to also film there.
These productions only other options for a comparable tax incentive to Georgia’s are Louisiana or Canada.
But Georgia lawmakers don’t care where they go to complete their projects.