Spike Lee on Filming in Georgia After Abortion Ban: 'They Got to Shut It Down'

Ever since Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a “heartbeat” bill that prohibits abortions as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, Hollywood studios such as Disney, Netflix and Warner Bros. have expressed an unwillingness to continue filming in the state should the draconian legislation be implemented.

And as celebrities arrived for Denzel Washington’s AFI Lifetime Achievement tribute Thursday in Los Angeles, the Associated Press reports that Spike Lee took the time to express his own reluctance to continue pouring Hollywood’s lucrative resources into the Peach State.

“They gotta shut it down,” he said flatly. “I know it’s gonna affect people’s livelihood, but that’s how things change.”

Currently, $9.5 billion a year is poured into Georgia’s economy thanks to Hollywood studios, which is a contributing factor in former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams’ decision to recently launch her #StayAndFight campaign.

Instead of punishing working-class Georgia residents who are reliant upon the jobs created by the industry, Abrams is imploring Hollywood studios to resist from within by staying and fighting.

But it sounds as if Spike wants no part of that.

“There were black bus drivers in Montgomery and they were affected by the boycott but so be it,” he said. “You gotta be on the right side of history and the state of Georgia and those other states, they’re wrong.”