8 TV Shows That Could Be Affected by a Georgia Filming Boycott, From ‘The Walking Dead’ to ‘Cobra Kai’
Nearly two years after an abortion law had TV and film productions thinking about leaving Georgia, the Peach State is in hot water with Hollywood again. This time, the furor is over a voting bill that Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law on March 25.
The so-called Election Integrity Act of 2021 enforces tighter voter restrictions — mandating ID requirements for absentee voting, for example, and limiting the number of ballot drop boxes. Critics of the law say it disproportionately impacts Black voters’ access to the polls, with President Joe Biden calling the measure “Jim Crow in the 21st century,” per CNN.
Now, Hollywood heavyweights are calling for a boycott on filming in Georgia. Ford v Ferrari director James Mangold tweeted that he won’t “direct a film in Georgia,” adding that the state has been “using cash to steal movie jobs from other states that allow people to vote.” And Star Wars actor Mark Hamill used the hashtag #NoMoreFilmingInGeorgia.
Here’s one different perspective from inside Georgia: Tyler Perry, who produces shows such as the White House-set BET soap The Oval at his studio complex outside of Atlanta, and who believes the law is “unconstitutional,” reportedly has decided to keep shooting there. “Please remember that we did turn Georgia blue and there is a gubernatorial race on the horizon — that’s the beauty of a democracy,” he said in a statement to Atlanta’s NBC affiliate, WXIA.
But if television production companies choose to go the boycott route, then the following TV shows, all of which film in the state, might be moving their cast and crew elsewhere.
‘Cobra Kai’
This Karate Kid spinoff, which streams on Netflix, started prepping for Season 4 in Atlanta early this year and began production in late February.
‘Doom Patrol’
This HBO Max superhero series is currently filming its third season in Georgia, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
‘Dynasty’
The Carrington mansion in Atlanta from this CW reboot is actually a house in Buford, Georgia, with interior scenes shot on a soundstage. Season 4 premieres May 7.
‘Legacies’
Just like its predecessors, The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, this fantasy drama — currently in its third season on The CW — films in various locations around Georgia.
‘Raising Dion’
Casting for this Netflix superhero saga’s second season commenced in Atlanta in February, according to Project Casting.
‘The Resident’
This Fox medical drama films interior scenes on a soundstage in Conyers, Georgia, while Atlanta’s High Museum of Art doubles as the fictional Chastain Park Memorial Hospital.
‘Stargirl’
This superhero series filmed Season 1 in the cities of Marietta, Duluth, and Dallas. (And yes, that’s Dallas, Georgia.) It moves from DC Universe to The CW for its second season, which is now under way, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
‘The Walking Dead’
The Georgia Department of Economic Development, meanwhile, has a whole webpage devoted to filming locations for this AMC zombie drama, showing, for example, that the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta played the role of the CDC headquarters in Season 1.
