Ryan Coogler understands the impulse to boycott the state of Georgia, but has his reasons for keeping Black Panther II production in the state.

In an op-ed published by Shadow and Act, director Ryan Coogler says that the Marvel film will move forward with its plans to shoot in Georgia this summer. Criticism of the state’s Senate Bill 202 include the way it enacts strict new ID requirements for absentee ballots, curtails the use of drop boxes and makes it a crime to give water and food to those waiting in line to vote, drawing comparison to pre-Civil Rights era Jim Crow laws.

In the op-ed, Coogler condemned the law, which was recently signed by Georgia’s Republican Governor Brian Kemp at the end of March. “As an African-American, and as a citizen, I oppose all attempts, explicit and otherwise, to shrink the electorate and reduce access to the ballot,” he wrote. Coogler learned of the bill just as he was about to head back to Georgia to shoot Black Panther II. “When I was informed of the passage of SB202 in the state, and its ramifications for the state’s voters, I was profoundly disappointed.”

Many businesses and citizens alike expressed the intention to turn that disappointment into a boycott, but the director wrote that after speaking to local voting rights activists in Georgia, he realized that pulling business from the state would hurt the same people threatened by the new voting laws, a point made by Stacey Abrams and Senator Jon Ossoff. “For those reasons, I will not be engaging in a boycott of Georgia,” Coogler wrote. “Our film is staying in Georgia.”

Antoine Fuqua and Will Smith went the opposite way, by relocating production on Emancipation, their upcoming slave-era drama. “We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access,” said Smith and Fuqua. “The new Georgia voting laws are reminiscent of voting impediments that were passed at the end of Reconstruction to prevent many Americans from voting. Regrettably, we feel compelled to move our film production work from Georgia to another state.”

Tyler Perry, who runs a studio out of Atlanta, criticized the bill shortly after it was passed but stopped short of recommending a boycott. “I’m resting my hope in the DOJ taking a hard look at this unconstitutional voter suppression law that harkens to the Jim Crow era,” he said. “As some consider boycotting, please remember that we did turn Georgia blue and there is a gubernatorial race on the horizon — that’s the beauty of a democracy.” 

Coogler does plan to take action, however, and hopes his fans will do the same. In the op-ed, he said “our film is staying in Georgia. Additionally, I have made a personal commitment to raise awareness about ways to help overturn this harmful bill, and continue to get educated on this matter from people on the ground. I will encourage everyone working with me to tap in with the local community directly affected by Senate Bill 202 and to leverage their influence and resources to aid in the fight for this particular and essential pillar of democracy.

I will also be donating to Fair Fight Action. You can do the same at http://www.stopjimcrow2.com.”