First TV And Film Productions Leave Georgia Over New Abortion Law

After several production companies vowed to pull their businesses from Georgia, showrunners have already canceled plans to shoot an Amazon Studios show in the state. Jane Featherstone and Naomi De Pear, executive producers of "The Power," said the decision was a "direct response" to the governor's signing of a bill banning abortions after six weeks.

"We feel we have to stand up for a woman's right to choose what happens to her body, and so while this is not a decision we have taken lightly, we feel strongly that it is the right one at this point in time," the producers said in a statement to CBS News.

They said they haven't yet made any new commitments to shoot the project in the U.S.

The statement comes after the show's director, Reed Morano, told Time magazine she would no longer film the project in Georgia. "We had no problem stopping the entire process instantly," Morano told the publication. "There is no way we would ever bring our money to that state by shooting there."

Earlier this month, Gov. Brian Kemp signed the state's "fetal heartbeat bill" into law. The legislation prohibits abortion after a heartbeat is detected in an embryo, which usually happens between five and six weeks into a woman's pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant.

Time reported that location scouts were searching for filming locations around Georgia when Morano decided to pull production from the state. 

In addition to Morano's show, a rep for Kristen Wiig told Time her upcoming Lionsgate comedy "Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar" was also pulled out of the state following the bill's signing. Lionsgate did not immediately respond to CBS News' request for comment.

Earlier this month, Christine Vachon said her film company, Killer Films, would no longer shoot in Georgia. The company is responsible for the Oscar-winning film "Still Alice," and the Oscar-nominated "Carol."

David Simon said his Blown Deadline Productions will no longer consider the state as a shooting location. Simon is responsible for "The Wire" and HBO's "The Deuce.

"Add my company to the list," Neal Dodson of CounterNarrative Films tweeted shortly after Vachon and Simon announced their boycott. Several other people in the film and TV industry praised the production companies and urged others to follow.