A new movie by Michael Shannon is picking up and moving from Arkansas to Wilmington, North Carolina, reportedly because of new abortion restrictions in Arkansas.

Arkansas has a trigger law that makes abortion illegal in almost all cases, including rape and incest. North Carolina is one of the few states in the South where abortion is legal and accessible since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last month.

The film, “Eric Larue,” is based on a play of the same name. It follows the mother of a high school student who shoots and kills three of his classmates.

This will be Shannon’s debut as a director. He’s acted in numerous movies and was nominated for Oscars for his performances in “Nocturnal Animals” and “Revolutionary Roads.”

First reported by Deadline, producers on “Eric Larue” told the Arkansas Film Commission last week that they planned to move filming to North Carolina.

North Carolina’s movie industry is no stranger to the impact of politics. House Bill 2, also known as the “Bathroom Bill,” hit the movie business in North Carolina hard.

Production companies left the state to protest the 2016 bill that made it illegal for local governments to pass measures protecting LGBT people from discrimination.

But HB2 is gone now, and North Carolina could be in the opposite position as states around the South move to ban or severely restrict abortion access. The movie industry in the state is already bouncing back and bringing in big productions.

Last year, the Wilmington area hit a record $315 million in spending by production companies, according to Johnny Griffin, director of the Wilmington Regional Film Commission.

“Last year was a great year, this year is still moving along very well for us. There’s lots of people working, there’s lots of small businesses benefiting, so the industry’s really doing well right now,” he said.

Statewide, spending on movies and television shows hit $416 million last year, according to North Carolina Film Office Director Guy Gaster.

“Our industry continues to grow and we expect 2022 to be another successful year, resulting in well-paying job opportunities for film professionals in our state as well as millions of dollars being spent with local businesses and suppliers,” Gaster said in a statement.

Last week the Commerce Department and the state Film Office announced a new round of grants to bring five productions to the state, including the return of “Hightown,” which will be back in North Carolina to film its third season.

“We’ve worked tirelessly to get the film industry going again in North Carolina, and we’re succeeding," Gov. Roy Cooper said in a news release from the Commerce Department. "Film, television and digital streaming projects here mean more money and jobs for North Carolinians.”

Griffin, with the Wilmington Film Commission, said the major movie companies are focused on making sure they have the right staff, space and equipment before picking a location for filming. But moving from one state to another could be driven by actors, directors and other big names in the business.

“Those decisions probably will be more driven by the talent that is attached to a particular project,” he said.

“If they sign a certain cast member or director or producer, a high-level individual, and that individual has certain feelings about where they want to work or where they do not want to work, that may certainly factor into the decision,” Griffin said.

In Hollywood, organizations like the Directors Guild of America, actors’ unions and the crew union roundly condemned the Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion.

Arkansas is one of 13 states that passed a “trigger law” that would automatically ban or severely restrict abortion within weeks after the court overturned Roe v. Wade.

“Today’s Supreme Court decision is a giant step backwards for our country and puts women’s lives at risk,” Directors Guild President Lesli Linka Glatter said in a statement. “We are committed to making sure our members continue to have access and ability to make their own reproductive decisions and determine the path they set for their own lives. We strongly condemn this ruling and stand in solidarity with so many others speaking out to decry this travesty.”

The Directors Guild, along with other unions and big companies like Disney, said they would pay for employees to travel out of state to get abortion care.

It’s not clear what impact new abortion bans and restrictions around the country will have on the film industry. In Georgia, the film and television industry spent $4 billion in the 2021 fiscal year, according to the state’s Department of Economic Development.

Recent productions in Georgia include Netflix sensation “Stranger Things” and Marvel’s upcoming features “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Guardians of the Galaxy 3.”

Georgia is waiting on a court to rule if the state can impose a six-week ban on abortion. The state passed one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country in 2019, but a federal appeals court blocked the law. But now that the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, that law could be allowed to go into force.

In North Carolina, there is a 20-week ban on abortions currently blocked by the courts. The state’s Democratic governor and attorney general have pledged to protect abortion access in North Carolina.

The governor said that abortion access in the state could hinge on the November elections. Both chambers in North Carolina’s General Assembly have Republican majorities. If they can add more Republicans in the General Assembly with this year’s election, they could have enough votes to override the governor’s veto.

“For now, abortion is still legal in North Carolina. But our reproductive freedom is hanging by a thread,” said Jenny Black, president of Planned Parenthood Votes! South Atlantic. “Our objective is clear: to keep abortion legal in this state, North Carolinians must elect candidates who will protect access to sexual and reproductive health care at the state level and ensure Governor Cooper has the necessary votes to sustain his veto.”

“The future of abortion access not only for North Carolinians but potentially the entire Southeast region is on the line in 2022,” said Black, who joined the governor in Raleigh last week as he signed an executive order aimed at protecting abortion.