Way to go, Brian Kemp.

Source: VINCENZO PINTO / Getty

We’ve already seen that big businesses are putting big punitive pressure on the politicians in the state of Georgia after Governor Brian Kemp signed SB 202 which makes it more difficult for people to cast their votes. Namely, Black people. The MLB pulled the All-Star game from the Atlanta Braves home stadium and both Delta and Coca-Cola have issued public statements condemning the Jim Crow-ish legislation.

Source: Kevin Winter / Getty

Today, according to an article in Deadline, Will Smith and Antoine Fuqua have officially moved the production of their new Apple runaway slave film Emancipation out of Georgia as a result. They issued the following statement regarding their decision:

“At this moment in time, the Nation is coming to terms with its history and is attempting to eliminate vestiges of institutional racism to achieve true racial justice. We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access. The new Georgia voting laws are reminiscent of voting impediments that were passed at the end of Reconstruction to prevent many Americans from voting. Regrettably, we feel compelled to move our film production work from Georgia to another state.”

As some of you may already know, Georgia is a rest haven for film production these days because the state has offered significant tax incentives for these companies to create movies and television shows in the state and particularly in the Atlanta area and surrounding suburbs. Many of your favorite Marvel movies and TV series were shot there in addition to long-running hit series like The Walking Dead have all made homes in Georgia. If this becomes a trend, the state will lose a significant amount of money from their coffers and may have to rethink how they operate if they want to keep the Hollywood faucet running. We won’t hold our breath but it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Also, hard to film a movie about freedom and slaves taking back their agency in a state that is actively trying to suppress Black votes.