Clint Eastwood To Film in Georgia for “The Ballad of Richard Jewel” Despite Hollywood Boycott Against The State

Oscar-winning director Clint Eastwood will not participate in the Hollywood boycott of the state of Georgia for his upcoming film the The Ballad of Richard Jewell.

A Warner Bros. spokesperson confirmed the film will be shot in and around Atlanta in a statement to IndieWire:

“We have made the decision to tell this compelling story — based on real people and events — in the locations where it actually took place, which is in and around Atlanta. As is always the case, we worked closely with our production partners to determine how and where to shoot this film, in order to best reflect authenticity in the storytelling.”

WarnerMedia had previously issued a statement indicating they would “reconsider Georgia as the home to any new productions” after a number of Hollywood actors called for the industry to boycott Georgia following the passage of a pro-life heartbeat bill.

“We operate and produce work in many states and within several countries at any given time and while that doesn’t mean we agree with every position taken by a state or a country and their leaders, we do respect due process. We will watch the situation closely and if the new law holds we will reconsider Georgia as the home to any new productions. As is always the case, we will work closely with our production partners and talent to determine how and where to shoot any given project.”

Local Atlanta news station 11 Alive reports that Eastwood began filming on June 25th.

The Ballad of Richard Jewell is based upon the 1997 Vanity Fair article titled “American Nightmare: The Ballad of Richard Jewell.” The article details how the FBI, American media outlets, and late night comics turned Jewell into one of the most hated men in America.

Jewell was a security guard for AT&T whose name was leaked to a reporter that he was a possible suspect in the Olympic Park bombing during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. In fact, Jewell discovered a backpack with three pipe bombs on the park grounds and alerted police. He also aided in evacuating the area and saved many people from injury or death.

After being turned into a public enemy, Jewell with the aid of lawyer L. Lin Wood, who is currently representing the Covington Catholic students, sued NBC, the New York Post, Piedmont College, Cox Enterprises, and CNN. CNN, the New York Post, NBC, and Piedmont College settled out of court with Jewell.

Eastwood’s film will star Oscar winners Kathy Bates and Sam Rockwell. They will be joined by Jon Hamm and Olivia Wilde. Interestingly enough Olivia Wilde signed her name onto Alyssa Milano’s letter calling for Hollywood to boycott Georgia over their recently passed Heartbeat bill.

Clint Eastwood’s last film, [easyazon_link identifier=”B07Q6CXZWZ” locale=”US” tag=”boundingintocomics-20″]The Mule[/easyazon_link], grossed over $172.6 million at the global box office on a $50 million production budget.

What do you make of Clint Eastwood filming The Ballad of Richard Jewell in Georgia despite the Hollywood boycott? What do you make of Olivia Wilde participating in the film?