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Mark Hamill Backs Director James Mangold’s Call To Boycott Filming In Georgia Over Controversial Voting Bill

Last week, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed into a law a highly controversial voting bill that has already spurred lawsuits and threats of boycotts over what critics call a “Christmas tree of goodies for voter suppression.” By design, The Election Integrity Act of 2021 disproportionally affects Black voters, which is why President Joe Biden dubbed it “Jim Crow in the 21st Century” and has vowed to have the Justice Department look into the situation. But while the controversial bill works it way through the courts, director James Mangold, whose next project is the fifth film in the Indiana Jones series, has vowed to not direct a film in Georgia in protest.

After catching word of Mangold’s protest, Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill has also committed to not filming in the state until the voting bill is repealed. Hamill tweeted his support for Mangold over the weekend, which you can see below:

However, the boycott is having trouble gaining supporters, and for a complicated reason. While Black activist groups denounce the controversial voting bill, they have been vocal in making it clear that a filming industry boycott would only hurt Black workers in the state. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

Georgia-based actor Steve Coulter, who has appeared in shows like P Valley and Yellowstone, asked Mangold to think twice before boycotting: “James … we here in GA fought like hell the last 4 years to turn it blue. We gave you two Dem Senators. Your boycott only hurts us, the thousands of rank & film actors & crew. Think before you cancel. Please. We’ve worked too hard.”

Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter Bernice King has also voiced her concerns that a Georgia boycott “would hurt middle-class workers and people grappling with poverty.”

(Via Mark Hamill on Twitter)