UPDATE: Time Warner, 21st Century Fox, Lionsgate, Starz, CBS, Discovery and the Weinstein Company have added their voice to the opposition against Georgia's "religious liberty" bill as well as entertainment industry leaders who released a statement through the Human Rights Campaign.
ORIGINAL: Major media companies Disney, Viacom and AMC have issued statements against the state of Georgia if Gov. Nathan Deal decides to sign into law the Free Exercise Protection Act. The "religious liberty" bill, recently passed by Georgia lawmakers after three years of legislative debate, would allow faith-based organizations to deny services to those who violate their "sincerely held religious belief" and give them the right to fire employees who aren't in accord with those beliefs.
Critics of the legislation claim it will legalize discrimination against LGBT individuals. Disney and its subsidiary Marvel Studios have stated they will pull all film production from the Peach State if Deal signs the bill. Productions for ABC Studios and Disney Studios, which fall under The Walt Disney Company, would close up shop as well.
"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.
In the past few years, Marvel has filmed "Ant-Man" and "Captain America: Civil War" at the Pinewood Atlanta Studios. "Guardians of the Galaxy 2" is currently filming at the studio.
The AMC hit series "The Walking Dead" is scheduled to begin filming on season seven in May in Georgia. AMC Networks also called out the Gov. Deal for his previous opposition to similar legislation, but unlike Disney, did not say it would boycott productions in state.
"As a company, AMC Networks believes that discrimination of any kind is reprehensible. We applaud Governor Deal's leadership in resisting a previous version of this divisive legislation and urge him to reject the current version as well," the company said in a statement.
Viacom, which is the parent company of Paramount, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Spike, VH1 and MTV, issued its own statement urging Deal to veto the bill.
"Viacom is proud to champion diversity and acceptance, which are core values of our company," a company spokesperson said. "We have enjoyed doing business in Georgia for many years and we urge Governor Deal to continue to resist and reject the patently discriminatory laws being proposed."
Atlanta has seen a real boon in the number of film and TV productions since 2008. The capital city has hosted more than 140 films and TV shows in the last eight years, earning it the nickname "Hollywood of the South."
Georgia offers some of the best tax incentives for film and TV in the country, providing up to 30 percent tax credits for big-budget productions. Just in the 2015 fiscal year (July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015) alone, 250 film and TV productions were shot in the state and spent $1.7 billion directly in state, which generated a $6 billion economic impact.
Deal has until May 3 to make his decision on the bill. The governor has a strong pro-business record and plans to vet the bill in April. He has said that he was "pleasantly surprised" that lawmakers came to a compromise on the legislation, but also stated earlier this year that he would reject any measure that "allows discrimination in our state in order to protect people of faith."
"What will happen will happen," he said. "I will try to use my best judgement to do what the people of Georgia elected me to do, and that was to make the best decision for the people of this state as a whole."
