Ron Howard to shoot 'Hillbilly Elegy' in Georgia despite abortion bill boycott

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Filmmaker Ron Howard intends to go ahead with plans to shoot his next film, "Hillbilly Elegy" in Georgia despite calls to boycott the state over anti-abortion legislation.

"After much thought and deliberation, we decided to continue with shooting Hillbilly Elegy in Georgia next month," Howard and producer Brian Grazer told The Hollywood Reporter in a statement. "We felt we could not abandon the hundreds of women, and men, whose means of support depend on this production – including those who directly contribute on the film, and the businesses in the community that sustain the production."

The produce condemned the state's new law, which will ban abortions around six weeks into pregnancy.

"We see Governor Kemp’s bill as a direct attack on women’s rights, and we will be making a donation to the ACLU to support their battle against this oppressive legislation," Howard and Grazer said. "Should this law go into effect in January, we will boycott the state as a production center."

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/444301-ron-howard-will-continue-working-in-georgia-despite-boycott

I read "Hillbilly Elegy". It mostly takes place in Ohio though I guess they've also passed a restrictive abortion ordinance.

[Raster]

1. Tell you what, Opie, I won't pay to watch your movie...

NO ONE should be doing ANYTHING in Georgia. The Governorship was OUTRIGHT STOLEN from Stacy Abrams and the citizens of Georgia, and now the illegitimate governor is directly attacking women's rights.

[Blue_true]

24. Ron Howard is a longtime very strong liberal.

I think that the stance he is taking is right. People have come to depend on the production, continue it until finished but don't start any new projects unless that law is gone.

[democratisphere]

2. I agree with Howard's and Grazer's position on this one.

[Dave Starsky]

5. So do I. People who work in film production get scant work...

Last edited Fri May 17, 2019, 06:47 PM - Edit history (1)

And they plan their lives around what they have lined up. I'm not talking the wealthy directors, producers etc. I'm talking about the electricians and the prop movers and the cooks for the craft table etc. Their lives depend on this, and they knew about this work and planned for it in advance. It's not their fault their government chose to fuck up spectacularly.

[PSPS]

13. Yes, must employ the same people who voted these nuts into office!!111! amirite?

[Dave Starsky]

20. Yes. Absolutely. For now.

But they have no excuse for making plans within their own state from now on. Unless they want to fight about it. Which I hope they do.

[PSPS]

21. I'd rather they not get jobs just to teach them that "elections have consequences."

But Howard is in it just for the money anyway. He could easily move the production elsewhere but he really doesn't care.

[Blue_true]

25. The guy has pretty heavy liberal creds and he has a history of doing projects that didn't

look to be commercial successes at the start. He is one of the best directors in the business, maybe not Spielberg, but definitely at the next notch just below.

[PSPS]

28. LOL. Yeah, I'm kind of unimpressed with his kind of "liberal creds."

[Blue_true]

31. To each their own. nt

[John Fante]

33. You have no idea who the men and women working on

this production voted for. The film industry as a whole leans very left so its safe to say the majority voted for Abrams.

[Chin music]

6. When we enable people to take away our rights, how can we complain?

Real disappointed in Ron Howard. Something tells me the real reason is money already spent. god forbid.

[BannonsLiver]

37. Probably spent months ago.

Which is why I have no problem with this. It’s not his fault a bunch of RWNJ put these policies into place. I would like to see boycotts of future productions in Ga. and Alabama, though.

[renate]

3. I think this is the right way to handle it

It'd be different if they hadn't already planned to shoot it there, and if there weren't hundreds of people who'd planned their short-term future around having this work and this income. Donating to the ACLU is a great way to handle this.

[Cal Carpenter]

4. Well, it's a crappy overrated book by a right winger

so.....

(Honestly, never understood why so many liberals were enamored with it or why it became such a bestseller at all. Crappy anecdotal bullshit. Had no idea Ron Howard was making a movie out if it. That's.... interesting.)

[Demit]

16. LOL It really is an awful book, isn't it. Dishonest in so many ways.

[Blue_true]

26. Actually the author was not a rightwinger.

His book chronicled his experiences growing up poor and going to an Ivy League college and becoming a successful VC. It was intended to give politicians an ibsider's perspective on how to address sustained poverty. He took the left and the right to task during his writing.

[Cal Carpenter]

32. Well, anyone who considers a run for Senate as a Republican

and who used to work for a Republican, and who worked as a venture capitalist with Peter Thiel who is the worst kind of disgusting libertarian there is, and who, just last week, gave a rousing speech at the American Conservative gala... well, I could go on, but either that makes my point, or you define "right-wing" so differently than I do that this exchange is pointless.

[Blue_true]

39. You seem to have more complete information on him.

All that I read indicated that he was not far right. Maybe he is a right leaning Livertarian, which is what I would have guessed from what I knew about him.

[Johonny]

7. I'll just boycott your movie then.

[dem4decades]

8. So Ron is fine with women losing their rights. Sorry Ron, it has to hurt or else

Nothing will change.

[Chin music]

9. EVERYBODY has to have skin in the game. Things aren't normal right now ron.

Bad decision 'Rich-ie'

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

34. Couldn't agree more... thought I knew ya Opie.

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[TreasonousBastard]

10. I agree-- they made a deal to shoot the movie there and while the new law stinks...

that is not a reason to change plans.

BTW, were they offered any incentives that they might have to pay back if they pull out?

It is, of course, perfectly proper to refuse to shoot there again as long as the law is in force.

[Freethinker65]

11. Very overrated book. And yes, I read the entire thing.

As a book glorifying the author's hard work to become something I found it less than inspirational. It was more of a "look at me now", I am accepted by conservatives...if I can do it with a shitty home life, multiple step dad's, and an addict mom, so can you! Especially if you write a book!! I am sure Ron Howard will touch all of the correct emotional buttons.

I could see where a documentary could work. I think I watched an effective one on Frontline a few years ago about growing up in a "holler" in Appalachia. It raised lots of thought provoking issues with no easy answers.

[maxsolomon]

12. Why not shoot it where it takes place?

Hamilton, Ohio is still there, rotting away. So is Appalachia.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

35. Excellent idea!! Opie, you listening?!

Bernie & Elizabeth 2020!!!
Welcome to the revolution!!!

[Tech]

14. The writer, JD Vance is a Kavanaugh fan.

I find that ironic. I already told my husband to get ready to cancel netflix.

He is also a venture capitalist.

Also a white male.

Surprise.

[PSPS]

15. Or, more succinctly, "After much thought ... we'll make money!!11!"

[blueinredohio]

17. Just don't watch the movie. When he doesn't make any money

maybe next time he'll think twice.

[Tech]

36. It's a Netflix movie

Do you think they will notice if none of us watch?

[empedocles]

18. No other amends made by Howard?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

19. I wish he would donate proceeds to help. Also that book is ass.

[TeamPooka]

22. weak tea there

[tenderfoot]

23. That book is a heaping pile of crap

Vance grew up in the burbs of Cincinnati. He ain't no hillbilly.

https://www.thisappalachialife.com/single-post/2017/05/10/My-Mother-Wasnt-Trash

https://thebaffler.com/latest/contra-vance-bryan

https://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article96779312.html

https://qz.com/1167671/the-100-year-capitalist-experiment-that-keeps-appalachia-poor-sick-and-stuck-on-coal/

https://www.salon.com/2018/02/05/put-down-hillbilly-elegy-and-read-this-book-instead/

and a twitter thread discussing how full of shit Vance really is:

Link to tweet

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

29. No his folks were hillbillies

My last comment: I read "Hillbilly Elegy". It mostly takes place in Ohio

[maxsolomon]

30. calling Hamilton Ohio the suburbs of Cincy is generous.

I grew up in the suburbs of Cincy, inside the ring highway.

Hamilton is am Exurb, a depressed factory town that was pretty much not Cincinnati when Vance grew up there. I considered it halfway to Dayton (its not, that's the appropriately named Middletown).

He, like many low-income whites in SW Ohio, is ETHNICALLY Appalachian. It's a real thing; there were Appalachian ghettos, like Lower Price Hill, where it was not wise for a college boy like me to be on the streets after dark.

[hatrack]

38. Linda Tirado's Twitter thread is THE BOMB

I was howling with laughter - read it!!

[sharedvalues]

27. It's a crappy rightwing book.

The right loves the book because it says poor people are lazy. Which is false. Idiotic book.

[tishaLA]

40. Just be honest. They're filming 8n GA because GA incentivizes

Filming there. Productions save hundreds of thousands of dollars because of the incentives, and it creates a race to the bottom re: the folks who work on productions there.