Disney’s Live-Action ‘Snow White’ Remake Banned in One Country, Adding to Its Growing Controversies

The most current controversy surrounding the recent live-action ‘Snow White’ adaptation is its ban in Lebanon.  Concerns regarding Rachel Zegler’s casting and the removal of roles for actors with dwarfism were among the earlier problems.  However, Gal Gadot’s casting is the only factor associated with this latest issue.  Gadot’s connections to Israel are the reason why the movie is banned in Lebanon.  Gadot, who was a member of the Israel Defence Forces and has openly backed Israel, is on Lebanon’s boycott list, which forbids boycotting anything associated with Israel.  ‘Death on the Nile’ and ‘Wonder Woman’ 1984 are among the movies that have been banned from showing in Lebanon as a result.  Following Israel’s ongoing fight with Hezbollah, this prohibition was put into effect.

Although the ban itself has little to do with the movie’s content, it does represent Lebanon’s position on Israel, which has resulted in Gadot’s exile from the country’s entertainment industry.  This comes after a similar move was made in Lebanon two months ago when Israeli actress Shira Haas was involved in the prohibition of ‘Captain America: Brave New World’.

Image Courtesy: People

Disney’s problems with its live-action remakes are exacerbated by the live-action ‘Snow White’s poor box office performance, which has failed to bring in $200 million worldwide.  Other adaptations, like the live-action ‘Tangled’ remake, are reportedly on hold as a result of the film’s poor performance, which has sparked worries within the firm.  Disney’s live-action remakes are still going strong in spite of these disappointments; subsequent movies like ‘Moana’ and ‘Lilo & Stitch’ will probably reveal whether ‘Snow White’ was a mistake or an indication of more serious problems with the company’s approach to remaking its great movies.

–Farheen Ali