Disney & Marvel to Boycott Atlanta's Pinewood Studios if Georgia Passes Anti-Gay Bill

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal is currently at a crossroads as state legislation recently approved the Free Exercise Protection Act, a bill that has been deemed anti-gay, and he must either sign it or veto it shortly -- and in a recent press release, Disney and subsidiary company Marvel have threatened to boycott their partnership with Atlanta's Pinewood Studios if the bill becomes a law.

According to The Washington Post, Disney and Marvel released statements last Wednesday saying they'd be taking their business elsewhere if the Governor signed the bill.

"Disney and Marvel are inclusive companies, and although we have had great experiences filming in Georgia, we will plan to take our business elsewhere should any legislation allowing discriminatory practices be signed into state law," the company said in a recent statement.

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In the past couple of years, Disney has gotten increasingly involved in the Georgia film industry. Last year's Ant-Man was shot there and this summer's release Captain America: Civil War also saw much of its production in Atlanta; in all, it'd be a major blow for the state if the company were to move away.

Disney and its subsidiaries aren't the only ones publicly opposing this bill. Time Warner, which owns a number of cable networks including Atlanta-based CNN, has also made it clear it'll be stepping back if the bill moves forward. Also, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), which represents all major studios as an industry, called it a "discriminatory bill."

Chad Griffin, the president of NGO Human Rights Campaign, recently asked the industry to boycott future productions in Georgia to prevent the bill from becoming a law.

Opponents of the Free Exercise Protection Act have deemed it anti-gay, as it prevents religious leaders from performing same-sex marriages as well as allowing organizations to deny providing their facilities for gay marriages.

If the bill is approved, religious organizations are also exempted from having to retain or hire people if their religious beliefs or practices are opposed to theirs.

Those who support the bill claim that not making it into law would be discriminatory for religious leaders and organizations.