12:13 PM PDT 4/16/2021
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Bryn Sandberg
Director Ryan Coogler reveals that the Marvel movie will remain in the state.
Black Panther II will still be filming in Georgia, despite the state’s new restrictive voting law.
In an opinion piece published by Shadow and actThe film’s director Ryan Coogler says the Marvel movie will move forward with its plans to film in the Peach State this summer. The law has been widely criticized for introducing strict new ID requirements for absentee ballots, restricting the use of dropboxes, and making it a crime to give water and food to those in line to eat. to vote. President Joe Biden has called it “Jim Crow in the 21st Century.”
In his piece, Coogler condemned the law, which was signed by Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp in late March. “As an African American, and as a citizen, I am against all attempts, explicit and otherwise, to shrink the electorate and limit access to the ballot paper,” he wrote. Coogler heard about the bill, called SB202, just as he was about to go back to Georgia to shoot Black Panther II“When I was informed about the passage of SB202 in the state and its implications for voters in the state, I was deeply disappointed.”
The director explained that while he wanted to turn his disappointment into action, presumably by boycotting the state as some others have called for, he realized by speaking to local voting rights activists in Georgia that pulling things out of the state would probably only hurt to do. people who will be hurt the most by the new law. It’s a point made by multiple leaders in the state, including Stacey Abrams and Senator Jon Osoff, as well as several members of the local film community. “For those reasons, I will not get involved in a boycott of Georgia,” Coogler writes. “Our film will stay in Georgia.”
Instead, he plans to use his influence to support organizations in the state that are working the hardest to combat voter oppression by making a donation to Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight Action. “I have made a personal commitment to raise awareness of ways to help destroy this harmful law, and I continue to receive education on this issue from people on the ground,” he continues. “I will encourage everyone who works with me to connect with the local community directly affected by Senate Law 202 and use their influence and resources to help fight for this specific and essential pillar of democracy.”
Earlier this week, Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith made a different decision, opting to move their upcoming slave drama Emancipation because of the electoral law. “We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government enacting regressive voting laws designed to restrict voter access,” Smith and Fuqua said. “The new voting laws in Georgia are reminiscent of ballot barriers passed at the end of Reconstruction to prevent many Americans from voting. Unfortunately, we feel compelled to move our film production work from Georgia to another state.”
A handful of Hollywood’s top studios and guilds have denounced the law in statements, but none are known to have taken cases out of the state. Tyler Perry, who runs a studio out of Atlanta, criticized the bill shortly after it passed, but stopped recommending a boycott. “I hope the DOJ will take a closer look at this unconstitutional voter suppression law referring to the Jim Crow era,” he said. “As some are considering boycotting, please remember that we have turned Georgia blue and there is a governmental race on the horizon – that’s the beauty of a democracy.” Other large companies with major productions in the state including Netflix and Black Panther II producer Disney, has yet to comment on the law.