Why Tyler Perry won’t abandon Georgia over controversial abortion measure

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Although there’s been a lot of celebs calling for directors and producers to pull their film projects out of the Peach State over the controversial “heartbeat bill” that becomes law in  January, Tyler Perry said he’s invested too much in Georgia to just up and leave.

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While the media mogul understands the outrage over the signing of the bill that outlaws abortion as early as six weeks, he’s in a “wait and see mode.” Ga. Gov. Brian Kemp could be voted out in 2022.

Also, Perry said he’s grounded in Georgia and invested a pretty penny to live out his dream to build an expansive, world-class movie studio in the state.

“Atlanta has been the dream. It has been the promised land. So when I got here, this whole state and city has been amazing to me and I wouldn’t trade that for anything,” he said. “Also, I put $250 million in the ground here and in the studio. So when you have a quarter of a billion dollars sat down in the ground, you can’t just up and leave,” Perry told The Associated Press.

“What I know about this industry is that there are 94,000-plus or 98,000 people who are in this industry and who are benefiting from it greatly, and that’s a lot of votes. I’m in a wait and see moment right now. But that’s a lot of votes. That’s a lot of votes that can determine an election.”

“I don’t believe any man should be able to tell a woman what she can do with her body or reproductive organs,” he said.

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And that sentiment is shared by many who have urged movie industry execs to ditch working in Georgia because of the law which goes into effect in January amid lawsuits and a lengthy court battle to block the measure.

The three production companies, Wire creator David Simon’s Blown Deadline, Killer Films, and Duplass Brothers Productions have yet to shoot projects in Georgia but said they have no plans to do so now that the controversial bill has passed.