Marvel Studios’ Eternals will not be arriving in cinemas in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, or Qatar, as the countries have pulled the film from their screens, according to a recent report from The Hollywood Reporter.
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The report states that the film was met with a variety of edit requests by the local censors of these countries, and when Disney was reportedly unwilling to make them, the film was pulled as a result. Despite not appearing in the three countries, the United Arab Emirates will still be showing the film, as it’s still listed on various websites for local theaters.
According to the report, it’s unclear exactly why the film was seemingly banned, but sources seem to point to the inclusion of a same-sex couple in the film as one of the bigger issues censors may have had with the movie. In the film, Phastos (Brian Tyree Henry) and his husband Ben (Haaz Sleiman) have a kissing scene. Due to how LGBTQ+ issues and representation are often censored in certain parts of the world, it’s believed that Eternals was dealing with the same issues.
Based on Jack Kirby’s Marvel comics of the same name, Eternals welcomes an exciting new team of superheroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The epic story, spanning thousands of years, features a group of immortal heroes forced out of the shadows to reunite against mankind’s oldest enemy, The Deviants.
The film features a star-studded ensemble including Richard Madden as the all-powerful Ikaris, Gemma Chan as humankind-loving Sersi, Kumail Nanjiani as cosmic-powered Kingo, Lauren Ridloff as the super-fast Makkari, Brian Tyree Henry as the intelligent inventor Phastos, Salma Hayek as the wise and spiritual leader Ajak, Lia McHugh as the eternally young, old-soul Sprite, Don Lee as the powerful Gilgamesh, Barry Keoghan as aloof loner Druig, Angelina Jolie as the fierce warrior Thena, and Kit Harington as Dane Whitman.
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Eternals is directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) from a screenplay co-written by Matthew K. Firpo and Ryan Firpo. It is being produced by Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige and Nate Moore.
