Filmmaker Ron Howard intends to go ahead with plans to shoot his next film, “Hillbilly Elegy” in Georgia despite calls to boycott the state over anti-abortion legislation.
“After much thought and deliberation, we decided to continue with shooting Hillbilly Elegy in Georgia next month,” Howard and producer Brian Grazer told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. “We felt we could not abandon the hundreds of women, and men, whose means of support depend on this production – including those who directly contribute on the film, and the businesses in the community that sustain the production.”
The produce condemned the state’s new law, which will ban abortions around six weeks into pregnancy.{mosads}
“We see Governor Kemp’s bill as a direct attack on women’s rights, and we will be making a donation to the ACLU to support their battle against this oppressive legislation,” Howard and Grazer said. “Should this law go into effect in January, we will boycott the state as a production center.”
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed the bill into law earlier this month.
Hollywood figures, including actress Alyssa Milano and “The Wire” creator David Simon, said they would boycott the state in response.
In recent weeks, other state legislators have advanced or adopted similar legislation. Missouri’s legislature on Friday approved an abortion ban at eight weeks into pregnancy.
On Wednesday, Alabama’s governor signed legislation outlawing almost all abortions, including in cases of rape or incest. That bill has sparked a firestorm and invited criticism from some Republicans who say it goes too far.