Oh I 'Wonder' Why? ‘Wonder Woman’ Delayed in Tunisia Ahead of a Possible Ban

We may be loving the female-first powerhouse that is #WonderWoman in the UK and USA, but it appears that our love of Diana Prince doesn't extend worldwide. It may be the best film the #DCEU has to offer, but certain countries aren't fans of #GalGadot and her knee-high boots. Following on from the film's banning in Lebanon, Tunisia is the latest country to throw a lasso round #PattyJenkins's masterpiece and bury the film in the trenches of controversy.

Trouble And Strife

According to Deadline, the Tunisian Culture Minister has delayed Wonder Woman indefinitely and may actually seek to have it banned outright. Although the film was due to premiere at one cinema in the capital city of Tunis and play at two cinemas from June 8, it has been pulled thanks to a campaign from Arab nationalist political party the People’s Movement.

Although some may deny the accusations, the move appears to come from anger stemming from Gadot's defense of Israel during the Gaza war in 2014, which has rattled a fair few groups. While the some factions of the Tunisian government are burying their heads, the People’s Movement party has slammed Gadot and her ideals in a statement:

“We must continue the mobilization on this type of affair, as on everything related to normalization with the Zionist entity.”

According to a spokesperson for the minister, the delay for Wonder Woman is "purely administrative”, while others aren't so convinced. There is no news on whether the film will be outright banned in the country, but it isn't looking good for our Amazonian heroine. Distributor Lassaad Goubantini has since spoken to Deadline and calls it a lack of democracy for Tunisia:

“It’s a decision based on bogus accusations… Today they prevent a film because of an actress, tomorrow they’ll invent another excuse. It’s an attack on liberties.”

War, What Is It Good For?

Elsewhere, Algeria pulled the film from the schedule of a film festival over "rights issues," but made no comment about the petition “Non! Pas en Algérie” (No, not in Algeria), which lambasts the actress for "glorifying" the attack on Gaza.

Even with all the political strife surrounding Gadot and her titular role, it is still expected that the box office success and slew of positive reviews will see both Jenkins and Gadot return for a possible sequel. While no writing has started on another entry, the plot is expected to take Diana to a more modern setting and away from WWI.

Robin Wright's Antiope is already confirmed to have a role in the upcoming #JusticeLeague, so we can expect her to return for Wonder Woman 2, but there is a big question mark over whether Chris Pine's Steve Trevor could/should return. Whatever happens, and no matter how many countries ban Wonder Woman, Gadot is much like her #comicbook counterpart and standing strong in her stance.