The CW president Mark Pedowitz weighed in on Hollywood’s boycott of filming in Georgia on Sunday, noting that while many of The CW’s shows do currently film in the state, those decisions are made by the network’s parent companies.
“First, anybody who interferes with people’s right to make medical choices, I am solely against,” Pedowitz said at the Television Critics Association press tour on Sunday. “Second, the law is not in effect yet. We are following the path of our parent companies. If the law is passed, I am certain we’ll have discussions with both studios about what to do and what not to do.”
Back in May, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed a bill aiming to outlaw abortion in Georgia after the detection of a fetal heartbeat. The bill is expected to take effect on Jan. 1, 2020, pending any legal challenges.
Many of The CW’s programs currently film in Georgia, including the superhero drama “Black Lighting” and the “Vampire Diaries” spinoff, “Legacies.”
Pedowitz’s comments are in line with the stance of many other film and television production companies in the months and weeks since the bill was signed. The heads of Disney, NBCUniversal, AMC Networks, WarnerMedia and Netflix have all made some version of a promise to reconsider filming in Georgia should the law go into effect. The CW is jointly owned by CBS and WarnerMedia.
Several other prominent producers have said they would boycott filming in Georgia in response to the law, while others have pledged to donate their earnings to groups fighting the action.