The “Men In Black” actor and iPhone maker decided to film “Emancipation” outside the Peach State to protest the controversial law
Hollywood superstar Will Smith and tech giant Apple have moved production of a forthcoming big-budget movie out of Georgia as opposition continues to grow to the state’s restrictive voting law passed by Republicans. The “Men In Black” actor says the runaway-slave thriller “Emancipation” will be filmed outside the Peach State to protest the controversial law that critics say makes it harder for African Americans and other Democratic-leaning constituencies to vote. “We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access,” Smith said in a joint statement with director Antoine Fuqua. Apple did not respond to requests for comment about the move. The iPhone maker joins Major League Baseball and fellow Fortune 500 corporations Delta and Coca-Cola in taking steps to protest the recently passed voting law. The new step is especially evocative because the upcoming thriller starring Smith depicts the heroic effort of an African-American slave to escape human bondage and enlist in the Union Army during the Civil War.
