GEORGIA — In the face of growing Hollywood opposition to the state’s newly signed abortion bill and calls for statewide boycotts, Netflix has made a decision to stay in Georgia for the time being. The controversial law, which effectively bans most abortions, is set to go into effect next year.

Variety published an article Tuesday that said nearly all media companies have been silent on the topic when Variety asked the companies to comment on the bill. Netflix was an exception.

“We have many women working on productions in Georgia, whose rights, along with millions of others, will be severely restricted by this law,” Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s chief content officer, said in an exclusive statement to Variety. “It’s why we will work with the ACLU and others to fight it in court. Given the legislation has not yet been implemented, we’ll continue to film there, while also supporting partners and artists who choose not to. Should it ever come into effect, we’d rethink our entire investment in Georgia.”

Until recently, no film or production company now doing business in Georgia has announced it was ceasing any projects in the wake of the new law. Alyssa Milano, herself one of the bill’s strongest opponents, is still filming the Netflix series “Insatiable” in Georgia because, she told BuzzFeed News, she is contractually obligated to do so.

Hollywood executive JJ Abrams and his company, Bad Robot, along with Jordan Peele and Monkeypaw Productions, are filming an upcoming HBO series in Georgia. The companies are donating all proceeds from “Lovecraft Country” to Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams’ organization, Fair Fight Georgia, and the ACLU of Georgia.

Georgia is one of the world’s top locations for film and TV production, mostly due to tax breaks and other policies that Gov. Brian Kemp’s predecessor, Nathan Deal, endorsed. However, two upcoming productions in Georgia are the state’s first entertainment casualties as a result of the so-called heartbeat Bill.

Amazon’s series “The Power” is the first TV production to leave Georgia because of the heartbeat bill. Emmy-winning director Reed Morano is pulling the Amazon series from shooting in Georgia. Also, actress Kristin Wiig and her collaborator, Annie Mumolo, have canceled shoots in Georgia for their upcoming film “Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar.”

Both production cancellations, as reported by Fox News, are the first in Georgia after the bill, which mostly outlaws abortions after six weeks when a fetal heartbeat is detected, was signed earlier this month. It takes effect in 2020.

The bill, authored by a suburban Atlanta Republican lawmaker, would allow abortions in cases where the mother’s life or health is in danger, or in cases of medical emergency. It also says an unborn child at any stage of development in the womb would be included in state population-based counts.

Until recently, the Hollywood uproar over the bill has been limited to mostly lesser known stars and small production companies, but Oscar-winning director Ron Howard said he would boycott Georgia if the bill goes into effect next year.

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Kemp sought to calm Georgia’s film industry May 22 in the face of growing Hollywood opposition to the legislation. Kemp and First Lady Marty Kemp toured Pinewood Studios, met with students at the Georgia Film Academy, and spoke with film industry leaders in Fayetteville, Georgia. Pinewood Atlanta Studios is the second-largest studio production facility in North America.

“The television and film industry employs thousands of hardworking Georgians and generates economic opportunity in every corner of our great state,” Kemp said. “I truly appreciate the investments made by industry leaders — like those here at Pinewood and the Georgia Film Academy — and their commitment to growing their operations and output in the Peach State.

“I will continue to advance policies that empower job creators and encourage investment in our state. We will focus on workforce development so hardworking Georgians are ready to meet the demands of a 21st century economy.”

In 2017, Georgia was the location for 15 of the year’s 100 top-grossing films — good for second place behind Canada, where 20 such movies were produced. A year earlier, Georgia had topped the list with 17 of the year’s most popular features, beating out the United Kingdom, Canada and California.

In 2005, Georgia’s legislature passed what would become known as the Georgia Entertainment Industry Investment Act. Under the law, which went into effect in 2008, Georgia offered one of the nation’s most aggressive tax-incentive programs to production companies working in the state.

As a result, TV and film studios were able to shave off significant sums from their overhead doing business in Georgia, as opposed to other states. Productions of $500,000 or more that take full advantage by including promotion for the state — usually in the form of the Georgia, USA peach logo – can save 30 percent on their taxes.

Patch Editors Tim Darnell and John Barker contributed to this article.