It’s a story you’ve seen before. Red states pass laws the Left find objectionable, and within days, the entertainment sector threatens to leave that state until conservatives see things their way. This time, Disney CEO Bob Iger has suggested that Disney may exit the state of Georgia over their recently passed abortion law. This comes after Netflix stated their intent to halt productions such as “Stranger Things” in the state. Film companies would be walking away from exceedingly generous tax incentives in Georgia and presumably go back to California and incur higher production costs or start a bidding process in other states reminiscent of the recent Amazon HQ2 fiasco.
Disney is free to do what they please, but their stated intent is highly hypocritical, and Georgia should stick up for their voters and send Hollywood packing.
Hollywood wants states that host their productions to believe they need them to survive, and it’s an increasingly common lie spread throughout statehouses. Georgia has been called the “Hollywood of the South,” and Tinsel Town’s boosters still allege that the industry brings in $7 billion in economic activity to Georgia, using highly disputable formulas for their calculation. Industry advocates attribute all of this to jobs for locals, business for local eateries and hotels, and development of land for said productions. This is a kind of hit-and-run stimulus even more extreme than that of megacorporations who will set up shop in cities that foot their bills, with no promise of remaining long-term.
Regardless, the money supposedly pouring into the state isn’t really the point.
Does anyone honestly think that Georgians who elected Republicans to lead the statehouse and the governor’s mansion are actively weighing their concern for protecting unborn life against having Millie Bobby Brown visit the state for “Stranger Things”? This isn’t a judgment either way on the “heartbeat” abortion law or the good people of Netflix and Disney; it’s just an acknowledgment that this issue is more charged than making sure catering companies have film sets to serve during production season.
There’s also a deep display of insincerity going on anytime Hollywood studios begin boycotts of conservative states for abortion restrictions. Disney just completed production of “Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker,” and before that was “The Last Jedi,” which featured memorable scenes shot in Croatia and Bolivia.
In Croatia, abortion is restricted after 10 weeks. In Bolivia, it is entirely illegal. And yet, no Disney boycott.
Sophie Turner, who famously played Sansa Stark in “Game of Thrones,” triumphantly declared she would not do any projects in states with antiabortion laws on the books. This coming after the conclusion of “Game of Thrones,” which was filmed in locations including Croatia and Ireland, where it was largely illegal up until a 2018 referendum. She’s been filming there since 2010.
You could say that Disney and Netflix are just trying to use their weight in their home countries to drive political change, but Iger has said this is about protecting Disney’s workers and respecting their wishes. Iger noted: “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.” He should indeed watch it carefully: Film crews are unionized and can strike quickly to shut down productions and delay major releases. He even called it impractical. Netflix’s chief content officer Ted Sarandos said they would leave Georgia to protect the rights of their female employees.
Netflix began production for a sequel to “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” this past March in Croatia, where abortion is tightly regulated after 10 weeks of pregnancy. Perhaps there were no women included in the production?
In the end, none of this may ever come to fruition. Disney and Netflix, among others, have been careful to say they will withdraw from the state if the heartbeat law is implemented. Most likely, we will see the law get jammed up in court. After all, many observers have said this wave of abortion legislation across the South and Midwest are angled at the Supreme Court more than anything.
Either way, Disney, Netflix, and all the other film companies extracting public money from the state of Georgia would be better off returning home to California and paying for their own projects out of pocket. Georgians won’t miss them, and the selectively tuned consciences of Hollywood actors will no longer have to be offended by this alarming proximity to their fellow Americans.
Stephen Kent (@Stephen_Kent89) is the representative for Young Voices, host of the “Beltway Banthas” podcast and an entertainment contributor for the Washington Examiner.
