Disney fired a warning shot across Georgia's bow today, vowing that neither it nor its Marvel Studios unit would film in the state should HB 757 pass.
From The Hollywood Reporter:
"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 company spokesman said Wednesday.
Marvel has filmed such movies as Ant-Man and the upcoming Captain America: Civil War andGuardians of the Galaxy 2 in Atlanta, taking advantage of Georgia's attractive tax incentives. While Disney's statement specifically mentioned Marvel, other Disney units like ABC Studios and Disney Studios would also take part in the boycott.
To get an idea of how important the film industry is to Georgia, "film and TV productions spent more than $1.7 billion directly in the state, which, in turn, generated a record $6 billion in economic impact."
Other industries are feeling the squeeze too. The Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau stated on Tuesday that a convention scheduled in May has threatened to pull out if the governor does not veto the bill by Friday, March 25.