Warner Bros. upcoming superhero movie, Wonder Woman, has been banned in Lebanon because of the lead actress, Gal Gadot, being Israeli.
The ban was announced by Lebanon exhibitor Grand Cinemas, which tweeted Wednesday that the film would not be shown in the country.
#WonderWoman has been banned in #Lebanon.
— Grand Cinemas (@GCLebanon) May 31, 2017
The decision has drawn heavy criticism from fans around the world and comes as a surprise since Lebanon has allowed films with Gal Gadot in them previously. ‘Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice’, and the three ‘Fast and Furious’ movies all starred Gal Gadot and were all shown in Lebanon.
The ban was reportedly instated by Lebanon’s Ministry of Economy.
Lebanon has been at war with Israel and has an official boycott policy on all Israeli products. The group leading the boycott against Wonder Woman specifically cited Gadot’s previous service in the IDF and her support for Israel’s military policy as grounds for the boycott of the film.