Masked singer
Indie producer Miranda Bailey is the latest member of the film industry to take a stance against Georgia’s anti-abortion “heartbeat” bill.
One month ahead of the start of production on the film Time Capsule in the state, Bailey dropped out of the project in protest, according to her rep.
“Miranda decided to not be part of the Time Capsule project a month before shooting started because she does not support the Georgia abortion bill. She fully stands behind a woman’s right to choose,” Bailey’s publicist told EW in a statement over email. “She is a huge supporter of women’s rights and gender equality — she founded TheCherryPicks.com to help balance the number of women’s critics in the industry and become part of the solution to lack of women representation in Hollywood.”
Bailey previously produced films like Being Frank (which she also directed), Swiss Army Man (starring Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano), and The Diary of a Teenage Girl (starring Alexander Skarsgård and Kristen Wiig).
Variety was the first to report the news of Bailey’s decision. Pre-production on Time Capsule, which stars Brianna Hildebrand and Todd Grinnell, is currently underway.
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Director Reed Morano and the producers of Wiig’s film Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar were among the first members of the film world to take action against the Georgia bill, which seeks to stop abortions as early as six weeks. The bill, as well as multiple others like it that are popping up across the country, is dubbed the “heartbeat” bill as it would effectively ban abortion as soon as a heartbeat is detected.
The crew of Amazon’s The Power series had been scouting potential filming locations in Georgia when Morano nixed that idea, saying, “There is no way we would ever bring our money to that state by shooting there.” Production company Gloria Sanchez Productions did the same while in the scouting stage for Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, co-written by Wiig and Annie Mumolo.
Since then, many movie and TV studios — beginning with Netflix — stated they would rethink shooting projects in Georgia over the bill. The state has become a second home for many Hollywood productions, given all the tax incentives for filming. These movies and TV shows, in turn, provide a significant boost to the local economy. According to AJC Radio & TV Talk, 2018 saw the industry generating $9.5 billion in “total economic impact” for the state.
“We have many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law,” Netflix chief Ted Sarandos said. “It’s why we will work with the ACLU and others to fight it in court. Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we’ll continue to film there, while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to. Should it ever come into effect, we’d rethink our entire investment in Georgia.”
Related content:
- Here are the projects pulling out of states with anti-abortion bills
- Netflix breaks silence on Georgia abortion law
- Disney chief Bob Iger says it will be ‘very difficult’ to film in Georgia if abortion law takes effect
- Samantha Bee responds to abortion bills by offering sex ed to male politicians
