Gal Gadot co-producing film adaptation of banned novel

Israeli actress Gal Gadot is set to co-produce a film adaptation of a novel banned from school reading lists by the Israeli government due to its depiction of an Israeli-Palestinian romance, according to Variety. 

The project is based on the 2014 Hebrew novel "Borderlife" by Israeli author Dorit Rabinyan, published in English as "All The Rivers." It tells the story of an Israeli woman who falls in love with a Palestinian man in New York, having to hide their relationship from their friends and family.

The book sparked controversy in Israel when then-education minister Naftali Bennett removed it from school reading lists in Israel in 2015. However, the ban actually ended up boosting sales in the country.

Bennett argued that the book shouldn’t be required reading for students, given that it portrayed Israeli soldiers as sadistic, according to The Jerusalem Post.  

The “Wonder Woman” star and her husband, Jaron Varsano, will be co-producing the film with Keshet Studios through Pilot Wave, the production company the couple founded together.

Its first project slated for release is a historical thriller about Irena Sendler (played by Gadot), a woman who rescued thousands of children during the Holocaust.

Gadot will next be seen in "Wonder Woman 1984", which opens in June 2020.