Georgia abortion law: Boycott heats up as TV show and Kristen Wiig movie bail

A Lionsgate comedy and an Amazon Studios TV series have pulled out of Georgia after the passage of a law prohibiting abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected.

The Kristen Wiig movie “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar� will not shoot in Georgia, a production source confirmed Tuesday. It and the Amazon Studios series “The Power� are the first projects to leave the state in protest of HB 481, which was signed by Gov. Brian Kemp on May 7 and, barring a legal challenge, is set to go into effect Jan. 1.

“The Power� and “Barb and Star� did not appear on a recent list of films and TV shows currently in production in the state. The Wiig movie is in pre-production, according to IMDb.

Due to generous tax incentives that started more than a decade ago, Georgia has become known as a production center that has hosted big-budget projects such as “The Hunger Games� and “Avengers: Infinity War� and TV shows including “The Walking Dead.�

“The collective decision taken by Sister Pictures and Reed Morano to cancel the planned scout to Georgia for The Power is a direct response to the signing of the ‘heartbeat bill’,� executive producers Jane Featherstone and Naomi de Pear said Tuesday in a statement.

“No production commitments have yet been made to shoot in any location in the U.S. We feel we have to stand up for a woman’s right to choose what happens to her body, and so while this is not a decision we have taken lightly, we feel strongly that it is the right one at this point in time,� they continued.

Dear Hollywood: Georgia’s new abortion law means you have to stop shooting there. Now »

“We had no problem stopping the entire process instantly,� “The Power� director Reed Morano told Time, adding that there was “no way� her project would give its production money to Georgia. Location scouts had reportedly been working in Savannah, Ga., for several months in preparation for Morano’s arrival, Time reported.

“[I]t felt wrong to us to go ahead and make our show and take money/tax credit from a state that is taking this stance on the abortion issue. We just couldn’t do it,� Morano said on Instagram.

“The Power� is based on the Naomi Alderman book, where women have gained the physical ability to zap others with powerful jolts of electricity, shifting the power dynamic and turning the world into a matriarchy. Morano won a Primetime Emmy in 2017 and a Directors Guild Award in 2018 for directing “The Handmaid’s Tale,� another show with a feminist bent.

“Barb and Star� is a female-driven comedy about best friends who find themselves in over their heads when they take a first-ever vacation to Florida. It’s written by and stars Wiig and her “Bridesmaids� writing partner Annie Mumolo.

Because of the pending law, a handful of companies and celebrities have said in general that they will no longer work in Georgia. Morano was not immediately available for comment.

[email protected]

@theCDZ on Twitter and Instagram