WarnerMedia became the third major media company this week to speak out against Georgia’s new abortion law, saying it will “reconsider” filming in the state if the new law holds up.
“We operate and produce work in many states and within several countries at any given time and while that doesn’t mean we agree with every position taken by a state or country and their leaders, we do respect due process,” the company said in a statement on Thursday. “We will watch the situation closely and if the new law holds we will reconsider Georgia as the home to any new productions. As is always the case, we will work closely with our production partners and talent to determine how and where to shoot any given project.”
Earlier this month, Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill that aims 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.
Currently, WarnerMedia is filming “The Conjuring 3” in the state, and James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” sequel is set to film in there as well. In TV, Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams’ show “Lovecraft County” and the Jason Bateman-produced “The Outsider” are in production in Georgia.
Peele and Abrams have already said that they’re donating “100% of our respective episodic fees” to the ACLU of Georgia and Fair Right Georgia to fight against the law. 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.
Disney and Netflix have also come out against the law and warned they too might pull their productions from Georgia in response to the law. Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said in an interview with Reuters on Wednesday that the company would find it “very difficult” to keep its productions in the state. Earlier this week, Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos said the company — which also has significant investment in Georgia — would work with those groups bringing legal challenges to the law and would “rethink” filming in the state should the law take effect.