Gal Gadot’s controversial past as an IDF (Israel Defence Force) soldier may have come back to haunt her once again. The Wonder Woman star is front-and-center in new Agatha Christie adaptation Death on the Nile, which opens this weekend around the world. As per Deadline, Kuwait and Lebanon won’t be screening the movie.
It’s worth mentioning that Deadline is reporting on a story from notoriously Islamophobic British tabloid The Daily Mail, which cites Kuwait’s Al-Qabas newspaper as its source (though does not link the story). The tabloid claims the protests on social media resulted in the Kuwaiti government banning the movie, quoting an official who says they refuse on ethical grounds to screen a movie prominently starring an actor who participated in the occupation of Palestine.
Gadot previously stoked controversy on the Israel/Palestine conflict in May 2021 when she was forced to disable comments on a social media post that many criticized as whitewashing the IDF’s attacks on the Gaza strip.
I’ve been digging through the Al-Qabas website and can’t find any reference to an official Death on the Nile ban there (or on their social media) and I also can’t find any Lebanese outlets reporting on a domestic ban, so perhaps take this story with a pinch of salt considering its origins. It’s perhaps also noteworthy that Lebanese cinema chain Grand Cinemas still has Death on the Nile listed on its ‘coming soon’ section.
However, Lebanon refused to screen both of Gadot’s Wonder Woman movies for the same reason, so it’s certainly plausible that this story is true. Even so, when The Daily Mail (which has been banned as a reputable source by Wikipedia) reports something, it’s a good rule of thumb to get cast iron verification before reporting it as fact.
Despite this controversy, Death on the Nile will open in the majority of the Middle East this weekend.