A day after Bob Iger said it would be “very difficult” for Disney to stay in Georgia if its new abortion law takes effect, WarnerMedia chimed in that it also would reconsider the state for any new productions.
Following similar statements by Walt Disney Co. CEO Iger and Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos this week, WarnerMedia told Reuters on Thursday that it is monitoring the situation closely.
“If the new law holds we will reconsider Georgia as the home to any new productions,” the company said.
“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.”
On May 7 Georgia’s Republican governor signed into law a ban on abortion after a doctor can detect a fetal heartbeat — about six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. The law is due to take effect on Jan. 1, if it survives court challenges.
On Wednesday, Iger told Reuters if the law is implemented, many people will not want to work in Georgia. Disney has filmed blockbuster movies such as Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame in Georgia, and it would be a blow to the state’s efforts to create production jobs if the entertainment giant stopped filming there.
“I rather doubt we will,” Iger said in an interview ahead of the dedication for a new Star Wars section at Disneyland in California.
“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.”
If the law takes effect, “I don’t see how it’s practical for us to continue to shoot there,” he added.
Georgia is one of eight states to pass anti-abortion legislation this year for the purpose of inducing the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Roe vs. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that established a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy.
The state offers a tax credit that has lured many film and TV productions. The industry is responsible for more than 92,000 jobs in Georgia, according to the Motion Picture Association of America, and some 455 productions were shot in Georgia in 2018, according to the state.
Some actors and producers have already said they will no longer work in Georgia because of the abortion law, but many of the large production companies have remained publicly silent.
Several high-profile creators, including J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele, have kept productions in Georgia, but donated their salaries and fees to the American Civil Liberties Union and local groups fighting the legislation.
On Tuesday, Netflix Inc. said the streaming service would “rethink” its film and television production investment in Georgia if the law goes into effect.
In the meantime, Netflix will continue production there and work with groups that are fighting the law in U.S. courts.