'Snakes' on Middle East blacklist?

'Plane' hits road block

By ALI JAAFAR

The rest of the world is getting antsy to see "Snakes on a Plane," the New Line horror pic that's already assumed urban legend status. But there's a good chance auds in Lebanon and some other Mideast countries won't get to see the serpentine thriller.

Local distribs are concerned that a decades-old blacklist could block release of the pic, which was shot by d.p. Adam Greenberg, whose lengthy resume includes many Israeli pics, including a 1982 Golda Meir biopic.

The blacklist dates to the 1967 war, when so-called friends of Israel were blacklisted -- including, inexplicably, Walt Disney and Frank Sinatra -- but is rarely enforced. Even Omar Sharif fell afoul of the list in some Arab countries in the 1970s after he romanced Barbra Streisand in "Funny Girl."

Distribs are betting that with strong buzz for "Snakes, the film could end up getting local release -- but with Greenberg's name edited out. The DVD, though, would likely be banned.