?West Side Story? banned in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait over LGBTQ character

The recently released “West Side Story” remake will not be screened in at least two countries over a nonbinary actor feature. 

The movie was initially scheduled to open in Saudi Arabia on Dec. 9, just ahead of its North America release on Dec. 10. However it has not been granted a release certificate in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Censors in other Middle Eastern nations like Bahrain, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates reportedly requested cuts to the new film adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s classic musical. However, Walt Disney and 20th Century Studios have decided not to make the cuts, an insider told The Wrap. 

The studios reportedly do anticipate that the film will be released in some other countries in the Middle East. 

The reason for the ban of the New York-set “Romeo and Juliet” take has not been specified, but The Wrap suggested it’s due to Anybodys, a teenage character written to be transgender and played by actor Iris Menas, who identifies as nonbinary.