Kristen Wiig And Bridesmaids Writer Halt Filming In Georgia Over Anti-Abortion Bill Signing
Kristin Wiig and Bridesmaids writer Annie Mumolo will no longer shoot their upcoming film in Georgia in the wake of its anti-abortion bill signing.
The bill seeks to ban abortions after the detection of a foetal heartbeat, and has prompted protests and outrage since Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed it in early May.
Wiig and Mumolo have boycotted the state and will be relocating elsewhere to film their comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, Wiig's rep confirmed to Variety.
The Handmaid's Tale director Reed Morano was due to start filming Amazon Studios' adaptation of Naomi Alderman's award-winning feminist novel The Power in Georgia, but has now cancelled the trip in opposition to the bill.
"We had no problem stopping the entire process instantly," the Emmy-winning Morano told TIME. "There is no way we would ever bring our money to that state by shooting there. I think this is one of the ways where we know we can hit a state where it hurts."
The Power imagines young women becoming the dominant gender after they develop the ability to release electrical jolts from their fingers. Men are suddenly afraid of women and their power to electrocute at will, reassembling the world into a matriarchy.
A post shared by reed morano A.S.C. (@reedmorano) on May 21, 2019 at 12:33pm PDT
Prominent Hollywood figures have been advocating for a boycott in the state which is home to a thriving film industry. The industry employs 92,000 people and generated $9.5 billion in total economic impact in 2018 (via TIME).
Variety also reports that some producers including J.J. Abrams and Get Out's Jordan Peele have pledged their salaries or donations to charities like the Georgia chapter of the ACLU, in a bid to fight against the legislation while they remain in Georgia.
Wiig's Barb and Star is described as a buddy comedy about two best friends from the Midwest, who embark on their first ever vacation to Vista Del Mar. The film's official synopsis adds that they "soon find themselves tangled up in adventure, love and a villain's evil plot to kill everyone in town".
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