Stacey Abrams indicated the best way to help Georgia was to stay and fight. For some companies that are not already in Georgia, however, the question is not about staying and fighting, it’s about whether or not to bring new business to the Peach State. 

On April 12, 2021, Will Smith, Antoine Fuqua, and Apple Studios decided that starting production on their new Apple TV series, “Emancipation,” in Georgia simply wasn’t worth it, especially in consideration of current events. While staying to fight may be fine, they didn’t feel compelled to inject more funds into a state that had enacted terrible anti-voting rights policies.

From Deadline:

What is important to note here is that Apple recognizes that having the Peach State branding on a film could be a real problem for a film about oppression and slavery in light of recently passed legislation.

Apple originally paid $130 million dollars for the project. The expected overall cost will be north of that number, not counting local tax stimulus from pay earned and dollars spent in the state from the production.