AMC is the latest network to join the list of companies prepared to adjust its Georgia-based production if the state passes its abortion bill.
On Friday, Forbes reported that AMC is considering relocating the set its hit show The Walking Dead after Georgia announced the H.B. 481 "heartbeat" abortion bill. Since The Walking Dead premiered in 2010, AMC has shot all nine of the show's seasons in the state. Yet, the network wants to see if Georgia's ethics align with their own, and those of their viewers before continuing business as usual.
"If this highly restrictive legislation goes into effect, we will reevaluate our activity in Georgia," an AMC spokesperson said in a statement issued on Friday. The spokesperson then went on to reference other laws passed in states like Missouri and Alabama that mirror Georgia's proposed abortion ban.
"Similar bills — some even more restrictive — have passed in multiple states and have been challenged," the statement continues. "This is likely to be a long and complicated fight and we are watching it all very closely."
In early May, Georgia's Governor, Brian Kemp, signed into law a bill that bans nearly all abortions after six weeks of conception. This prompted several companies, including CBS, NBC, Viacom, Sony, Netflix, and Disney to threaten to pull production from the state if opponents are unable to dismantle the law before it goes into effect. Because of this "long and complicated fight," The Walking Dead has begun production at its usual film sites to get season 10 out on time. But, AMC is gearing up to pull the plug and relocate if advisories fail to block the "heartbeat" bill.
