ROME — Lebanon has officially banned “Wonder Woman” roughly two hours before the film was scheduled to screen in the country’s movie theaters.
The ban was prompted by a group called Campaign to Boycott Supporters of Israel-Lebanon which pressured the government against the movie because the film’s lead actress, Gal Gadot, is an Israeli. Lebanon is officially at war with Israel.
The “Wonder Woman” ban was announced on the official Twitter feed of Lebanon’s Grand Cinemas and confirmed by several another sources.
The ban, which was decided by a six-member Ministry of Economy committee, comes after the film had gone through Lebanon’s ordinary censorship procedures.
It comes as a surprise since the same organization had previously unsuccessfully lobbied to ban “Batman v. Superman,” in which Gadot also stars.
The film’s Lebanese premiere was scheduled today, following a sneak preview yesterday evening.
There was no immediate comment from Vox Cinemas, which is among regional exhibitors that were set to release the film in Lebanon, or from Joseph Chakra & Sons, the licensee for Warner Bros. titles in Lebanon.
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