Tag Archives: georgia

Both Netflix and Disney Threaten Georgia Boycott Over Anti-Choice Law

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Two big studios have finally spoken out on the anti-abortion legislation signed into law in Georgia.

Netflix is the first major studio to speak out about the recently signed law. Other smaller ones have threatened boycotts or enacted them. Netflix has produced shows like Stranger Things and Ozark in the state. They said they would “rethink their investment in the state.”

Disney CEO Bob Iger also spoke out this week saying it’d be “very difficult” for the company to continue filming in Georgia as well following up with “I rather doubt we will.” He cited the fact that many people wouldn’t want to work in the state. Black Panther and Avengers: Endgame were both filmed in the state. Kristin Bell‘s upcoming Disney+ series Encore was to film in the state.

I think many people who work for us will not want to work there, and we will have to heed their wishes in that regard. Right now we are watching it very carefully.

I don’t see how it’s practical for us to continue to shoot there.

– Bob Iger, Disney CEO

The law doesn’t go into effect until January and faces numerous court challenges. Disney said they will currently continue production there but also said they will support partners and artists who choose not to do business with the state.

In 2016 when Georgia signed a religious freedom bill that was criticized as anti-gay, Disney was vocal when it came to a proposed boycott of the state.

Dubbed the “heartbeat bill,” the law signed by Governor Brian Kemp bans abortion after six weeks, a short time period that many don’t even know they’re pregnant. It also would allow the prosecution of anyone who seeks an abortion out of state and anyone who helps them. It’s one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the United States.

The movie industry brought more than 92,000 jobs to the state in 2018 through 455 productions infusing around $2.7 billion into the local economy. The state offers tax incentives up to 30 percent back which has drawn production to there.

The state is already losing money over the law. The Kristen Wiig upcoming comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar has pulled out of the state and will no longer be filming there. J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele are donating their salaries from productions in Georgia to help fight the law.

The MPAA hasn’t taken a stand and is waiting to see how court battles play out.

Two Production Companies Take a Stand Against Georgia’s Abortion Law

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Keep Abortion Safe and Legal

David Simon‘s Blown Deadline Productions and Killer Films CEO Christine Vachon have both pledged to no longer shoot in Georgia so long as their “heartbeat bill” aka abortion ban stands as legislation.

The legislation was signed in to law on Tuesday by Republican Gov. Bill Kemp and bans abortion after a heartbeat is detected which can be as early as six weeks. There are exceptions to save the life of the mother or for rape and incest but only if a woman files a police report. Most don’t. The law goes in to effect in January.

Some have threatened to pull production from the state if the bill was signed in to law and at least two in Hollywood are standing by their word.

The MPAA isn’t taking much of a stand as they have said they are watching the courts to see what the final outcome is. A similar law in North Dakota in 2016 was overturned by the Supreme Court but with a right-wing shift of the court, it’s unknown if that decision may change if it goes before the court again

Georgia has tax incentives of up to 30 percent back which brought in 455 productions to the state last year with $2.7 billion in direct spending. There’s about 92,000 jobs in Georgia for film and production.

The Walking Dead, Ozark, and Stranger Things all shoot there and Marvel has used Pinewood Studios in Atlanta for some of their film productions.

Van Jensen Named Publisher of ArtsATL

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Comic creator Van Jensen has been named by ArtsATL as its publisher to oversee the website’s day-to-day operations. He begins the role next month. He is the first publisher of ArtstATL.

Jensen was the director of publications for the Georgia Tech Alumni Association from 2008 until 2014 and edited the school’s alumni magazine. He’s also written numerous comics including The Flash, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer, James Bond: Casino Royale and so much more. He’s worked for DC Comics, Dark Horse Comics, Chapterhouse Comics, and more and served as a United States Comic Book Ambassador under a US State Department program.

ArtsATL is a non-profit organization that promotes a healthy and vibrant arts community in metro Atlanta. We do this by providing a combination of thoughtful, critical analysis, news resources, commentary, programming and in-depth features of the city’s vibrant arts scene across all disciplines – visual art, design, music, dance, theater, books and film.

Marvel and Disney Threaten to Boycott Georgia, Plus Dragon Con’s Statement

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walt disney marval headerCurrently Georgia is debating HB 757, the “Preservation of Religious Freedom Act,” the latest piece of legislation that “defends religion” while really just legalizing discrimination against gay people or others protected by civil rights laws. The legislation gives individuals a pass to deny service based on their religious beliefs. This is beyond business owners, but a pharmacist can deny medicine, a police officer can refuse to intervene, doctors could refuse medical care if you don’t adhere to their religious beliefs.

The legislation original was a measure to protect pastors who refused to perform same-sex weddings. “Extra protections” were added allowing for the discrimination by businesses and employees. It passed the Georgia House 104-65 when the “extra protections” were added.

It is currently headed to Governor Nathan Deal’s desk to be signed. The Governor has hinted he would not sign the bill.

Disney and Marvel have confirmed they would no longer film in Georgia if the legislation is passed. In a statement to Polygon a Disney spokesperson said:

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.

Currently the companies are filming Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 in the state, and have previously filmed Ant-Man and Captain America: Civil War there. The Human Rights Campaign has called for Hollywood to pull all production out of the state if it’s passed and the Motion Picture Association of America has called the legislation “discriminatory.”

AMC‘s The Walking Dead is filmed in Georgia, and we have reached out for a statement from the production company. We’ll update this story if we receive a statement.

Similar legislation was passed in Indiana and Gen Con has threatened to leave the state over it. The legislation has since been modified. Dragon Con, a major convention in Georgia, has released a statement concerning the legislation.

Dragon Con is proud of its long history of accepting all fans, no matter who they are today or who they want to be during the convention. Which is why we are closely monitoring the “religious rights” bill just passed by the Georgia Legislature.  As we did in 2015, when a similar bill was considered, Dragon Con’s leadership is working closely with the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association, which are actively lobbying against these discriminatory bills, to make our opinion known to Georgia legislators and the governor.

Our position has not changed: Legislation that hurts one of us, hurts all of us.

Unlike some conventions that have their headquarters outside the cities where they operate, Atlanta is the only home Dragon Con has ever had. Our founders and our convention leaders all have deep family roots in the metropolitan area.  Over the last 30 years, we have seen the city change considerably, almost always for the better. We have great faith that our state’s leaders and legislators will, eventually, do the right thing for all Georgians.

Should this bill become law, we will seek written assurances from all of our business partners that they will not participate in any discriminatory behavior on the basis of race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other point of identification.  We have no intention now or in the future of supporting a business partner that discriminates.

Comic Books and Religion in Atlanta (American Academy of Religion conference)

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If you’re in the Atlanta area this weekend….

Religion and Popular Culture Group

Monday 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Location: Marriott Marquis – M103-104
Comic books have long supplied popular culture with a colorful stream of serialized superhero adventure stories. Although originally targeted at adolescent audiences, contemporary comics and their kin command global audiences of fans from all ages, and offer a remarkable range of genres and subject matter. These include works of considerable artistry and narrative sophistication that often directly or indirectly address religious themes. This paper session will survey a range of recent scholarship on the religious content of comics, manga, anime and graphic novels. It will include presentations on the use of manga by new religious movements, the allegorization of religious debates, the use of religious language, emerging subgenres, and religiously-informed social criticism.

A. David Lewis, Boston University

Ever-ending Battle: The Superhero Afterlife Subgenre and the Rupture of Narrative Character

If superheroes form a narrative genre, they likely have their own subgenres, and there is sufficient material to argue for the constitution of a superhero afterlife subgenre—stories of superheroes taking place in Heaven, Hell, Sheol, Purgatory, and other hereafter existences. In reviewing the applicable comics, it appears that the superhero afterlife subgenre allows nearly any depiction of selfhood, thereby allowing for no unified understanding of it. Collectively, no form of selfhood is prohibited in this subgenre; likewise, no form is validated. The sum of all these characterizations results in no consensus concerning representations of selfhood. This is not a weakness of the subgenre or the medium. It is evidence of a larger conflict—a rupture. A chief strength of the comic book medium is its sensitivity for overt representation, as Hillary Chute (PMLA) called it, “its attention to its seams.” These comics visually portray the deceased self as indistinct from the living self. If genre is a space for negotiating selfhood, this consistent incoherence of self more likely reflects a difficulty in the reader, in one’s expectations for selfhood versus character’s embodiment of it.