After weeks of outrage over Georgia’s highly controversial new voting laws – including Coca-Cola setbacks and Major League Baseball – a production supporting Will Smith has chosen ‘Emancipation’ to pull out of the state.
As explained in Variety, Will Smith and filmmaker Antoine Fuqua, both owners of film production companies, issued a joint statement on the matter:
“At this moment, the Nation is coming to terms with its history and trying to eliminate remnants of institutional racism in order to bring about true racial justice,” the statement said.
“We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enforces regressive voting laws designed to restrict voter access. The new laws in Georgia are reminiscent of the voting barriers adopted at the end of Reconstruction to prevent many “Americans can vote. Unfortunately, we feel compelled to move our film production work from Georgia to another state.”
‘Emancipation’ would begin filming on June 21, with Fuqua directing from a screenplay by William N. Collage. In the thriller, Smith will play Peter, a self-emancipated individual fleeing Louisiana for the promise of freedom in the north.
Georgia has quickly become a preferred venue for movies and TV shows, offering moderate weather, great tax incentives and credits for studios, as well as versatility in landscapes for different environments.
A 2016 magazine article shares that more feature films were made in the state of Georgia than California in that year, a provider that continued to increase, with billions of dollars invested in the peach state, in addition to creating thousands of jobs. .
With these numbers, manufacturing companies moving to other states can be difficult not only for the Georgians currently working in the industry, but also for the entire economy of the state.
The controversy is due to a bill recently signed by Georgia’s governor Brian Kemp (R), which is thought to be aimed at addressing widespread voter fraud and identity theft.
Many claim that the bill, which aims to restrict access to the absence of votes, ballot boxes and even the volunteers to offer food and drink to those waiting to cast their votes, is drastically changed – in direct response to the result of the 2020 election. the historically red state blue, leading to the loss of former President Donald Trump.
Trump, like many in the Republican Party, has campaigned for stricter voter identification practices to address voter fraud claims, most of which have been proven unfounded.
Politicians and activists have voiced the potential danger of this legislation, and President Joe Biden calls it ‘Jim Crow in the 21st Century’.
Smith and Fuqua’s decision to relocate follows the MLB’s decision in late March to move their All-Star game and 2021 draft out of Georgia due to the bill.
And this choice may be the first in a trend of many. Director James Mangold, known for films such as’ Ford v. Ferrari ‘,’ The Wolverine ‘and’ Girl, Interrupted ‘tweeted that he’will not direct a film in Georgia,“and” Star Wars “veteran Mark Hamill also expressed its support for boycotts production efforts in protest of the bill.