Hollywood Threatens Ga. Boycott Over 'Religious Liberty' Bill

ATLANTA, GA — There's a majority of legislators in Georgia who support the state's new "Religious Liberty" bill. It's on the governor's desk for a potential signature.

But Georgia's growing film industry has joined other business leaders by rejecting the bill that is seen by opponents as discriminatory against the LGBT community.

Studio heavyweights like Disney, Marvel and Netflix, as well as Hollywood names like Aaron Sorkin, Seth MacFarlane and Harvey Weinstein have threatened to boycott the state if the bill is signed by the governor.

A reading of the legislation seems to fall squarely in the "how you want read it" category. The intent of the legislation appears to protect faith-based non-profits, as well as businesses, that are looking to deny services based on religious objections.

Opponents see the bill as an attempt to allow these groups to turn away gays and lesbians — possibly even invalidating local LGBT protections established by municipal elected officials across the state.

National businesses that have built diversity and inclusion into their branding and employment policies are railing against the legislation. And that includes some of the top executives and talent in TV and movies. It's an industry that, even by conservative estimates, has an economic impact of $3.1 billion in Georgia.

Vote: Should Deal Sign or Not?

Studios Shocked

Filming has been a growing industry in the Peach State. You can see images of Georgia sets on "The Walking Dead," "The Vampire Diaries," and "Sleepy Hollow" each week. Summer blockbusters, including "Captain America: Civil War" and the "Divergent" series have been shot in the state. Remakes of "Baywatch" and "Little Mermaid" are filming right now.

Competition is hot for all of these properties. "The Walking Dead" continues to film in Georgia, but the show's story has moved to Virginia — where AMC has already been filming "Turn: Washington's Spies." And AMC has said it opposes the bill.

"As a company, AMC Networks believes that discrimination of any kind is reprehensible," the network said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "We applaud Governor Deal's leadership in resisting a previous version of this divisive legislation and urge him to reject the current version as well."

A Tyler Perry Studios spokeswoman told Variety on Friday, “At Tyler Perry Studios, we believe in inclusion and equality for all people. We do not tolerate bigotry, division and discrimination. We have tremendous confidence in Governor Deal’s leadership and ability to continue to lead our great state forward and urge him to veto this bill.”

Disney was one of the first out of the gate with their opposition, possibly due to the large number of films shot in the state, including "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" this winter, as well as pilots in production for ABC Studios.

“Disney and Marvel are inclusive companies, and although we have had great experiences filming in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law,” a Disney spokesman said earlier this week.

Netflix has also announced shoots for its growing production arm will be walking away from Georgia if the bill becomes law. Time Warner, CBS, NBCUniversal, MGM and more have spoken out against the bill.

Hollywood's Open Letter

Any of these major studios could likely be lumped in with other faceless pronouncements from the business world made against the legislation. This week, Gov. Deal also received a letter this week with more than 30 big name faces in Hollywood who are also ready for a boycott of Georgia if the bill becomes law.

"We pride ourselves on running inclusive companies, and while we have enjoyed a positive partnership on productions in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere if any legislation sanctioning discrimination is signed into state law," according to the letter.

Signatures on the letter include include Gus Van Sant, Harvey Weinstein Aaron Sorkin, Seth MacFarlane, Greg Berlanti and Ryan Murphy, as well as actors Anne Hathaway and Julianne Moore.

The complete letter:

Dear Governor Deal,

As leaders in the entertainment industry, we have deep concerns about H.B. 757, which would sanction discrimination against LGBT people and others in Georgia.

As you know, Atlanta is often referred to as the Hollywood of the South. During the last fiscal year, at least 248 films and television productions were shot in Georgia, adding at least $1.7 billion in direct spending to the state’s economy. Additionally, the entertainment industry helped to bring more than 100 businesses to Georgia through relocation or expansion in the past fiscal year. Only two states — California and New York — have a larger entertainment industry footprint and both have statewide non-discrimination protections on the books. Unfortunately, Georgia not only lacks such protections, but could soon move from a bad situation to worse with H.B. 757.

We pride ourselves on running inclusive companies, and while we have enjoyed a positive partnership on productions in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere if any legislation sanctioning discrimination is signed into state law.

We urge you to veto H.B. 757 and send a strong message that Georgia will not tolerate discrimination against citizens, employees and visitors to the state.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of this urgent issue.

Ali Adler, Writer and Producer
Greg Berlanti, Writer and Producer
Matt Bomer, Actor & Simon Halls, Publicist
Dustin Lance Black, Screenwriter and Filmmaker
Bradley Bredeweg, Executive Producer and Showrunner
Kristin Chenoweth, Actress and Singer
Diablo Cody, Writer, Producer and Director
Bruce Cohen, Producer
Lee Daniels, Producer and Director
Dana Fox, Writer and Producer
John Goldwyn, Producer
James Gunn, Writer and Director
Anne Hathaway, Actress
Alan Hergott, Entertainment Attorney
Nina Jacobson, Producer
Dan Jinks, Producer
Kathy Kennedy, Producer
Zoe Kravitz, Actress
Bryan Lourd, Talent Agent
Seth MacFarlane, Producer and Filmmaker
Laurence Mark, Producer
Frank Marshall, Producer and Director
Neil Meron, Producer
Julianne Moore, Actress
Ryan Murphy, Producer
Peter Paige, Executive Producer and Showrunner
Rob Reiner, Actor, Director and Producer
Sarah Schechter, Producer
Adam Shankman, Director and Producer
Aaron Sorkin, Screenwriter and Producer
Marisa Tomei, Actress
Gus Van Sant, Producer and Director
Harvey Weinstein, Producer and Film Studio Executive
Craig Zadan, Producer and Director