On May 7, Georgia governor Brian Kemp signed a bill into law that would outlaw abortion after six weeks into a pregnancy. Since then, the hashtag #BoycottGeorgia has been trending on social media. Many have urged Hollywood to pull their films and television productions from Georgia, a state that has become a major film and TV hub in large part due to its tax incentives. Netflix shoots several projects in Georgia, including one of its most popular series to-date, Stranger Things.
As producers Rashad Mubarak and Jazmen Darnell Brown detail in their op-ed against the #BoycottGeorgia movement for Shadow And Act, the state has the fourth-greatest Black population of any state, and the city of Atlanta is widely considered to be the epicenter of its film and television industry.
Many major Hollywood players have come out in protest of Georgia’s controversial law. In an exclusive from Variety, it seems that Netflix is leveraging its power in the best way possible and sounding off in the fight for women’s reproductive rights.
The streaming giant will reportedly rethink its investment in Georgia if the abortion law goes into effect. Netflix’s chief content officer, Ted Sarandos spoke more about this potential move to Variety.
“We have many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law,” Sarandos said in an exclusive statement to Variety. “It’s why we will work with the ACLU and others to fight it in court. Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we’ll continue to film there, while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to. Should it ever come into effect, we’d rethink our entire investment in Georgia.”
The Georgia “heartbeat law” is set to take effect on January 1st, 2020.
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Photo: Netflix
