The Walt Disney Co. could pull its productions from Georgia if that state’s newly passed abortion ban takes effect, Chief Executive Bob Iger said Wednesday.
In an interview with Reuters, Iger said it would be “very difficult” to continue filming in Georgia if the strict law is implemented.
“I rather doubt we will,” Iger told Reuters. “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.”
But if it takes effect, “I don’t see how it’s practical for us to continue to shoot there,” he said.
Disney DIS, -0.79% has filmed blockbusters such as “Black Panther” and “Avengers: Endgame” in Georgia, and is the second major media company — after Netflix Inc. NFLX, -1.58% — to say it may leave the state over the new law. Netflix content chief Ted Sarandos said Tuesday that the streaming giant would “rethink” its investment in the state if the law went into effect.
Georgia is the third-largest film and TV production site in the U.S., behind California and New York, thanks to a 30% tax rebate instituted in 2008. Hundreds of businesses have relocated there or expanded, and Georgia officials said more than 400 film and TV projects pumped $9.5 billion into the local economy in 2018, including $2.7 billion in direct spending.
Earlier this month, Gov. Brian Kemp signed one of the country’s most restrictive abortion bans, outlawing the procedure once a fetal heartbeat is detected — as soon as six weeks, which is often before women even know they’re pregnant. The law is scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2020, unless it is blocked by court challenges.
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