El Al's Iconic Safety Video Gets a Celebrity Makeover!

It made the Seven of Hearts an international star and entertained or annoyed hundreds of thousands of travelers on El Al flights.

But after almost 10 years, the iconic safety video for the Israeli airline starring master mentalist Lior Suchard is finally being replaced.

And it’s going to take a Fantastic Four of top Israeli celebs to fill its shoes.

Beginning later this month, a new safety video is being unveiled on El Al flights featuring Fauda’s Lior Raz, Hollywood’s Gal Gadot, NBA basketball great Deni Avdija and model/actress Rotem Sela.

Suchard’s 2017 video, which opens with a sleight-of-hand card trick that draws in viewers and enables them to “guess” the right card – the seven of hearts – featured then-state-of-the-art AI-generated effects and set a new standard for airline safety videos with its innovative scenes and Suchard’s visual trickery. The revelation of the correct card at the end of the video kept viewers interested, whereas most onboard safety videos are often ignored by passengers.

A still from El Al's old safety video with Israeli mentalist Lior Suchard. (credit: Courtesy)

“This video, which has accompanied hundreds of thousands of passengers in Israel and around the world for almost a decade, has received countless messages from people who wrote to me saying it was the best safety video they’ve ever seen,” Suchard wrote in a farewell social media post.

“When we started filming, we clearly knew we were creating something unique that would touch people’s lives for years to come. And the result? We created a smart and authentic video, which, with the help of AI… simply made people smile and enjoy it.”

The film, originally intended to appear for two years, proved so popular that it stayed on the air, in the air, for nearly a decade.

“Today, as I say goodbye to it, I mainly think about all the places it met you: on the way to the moon, on the way to Israel, on the relocation [flight], on the big trip, on the bar or bat mitzvah [trip], on an important work meeting [trip], on a family vacation, and of course on the way home,” Suchard added.

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The replacement for Suchard’s film promises to live up to its predecessor, according to El Al.

“In recent years, airline safety videos around the world have evolved into major productions. Instead of routine instructional videos, airlines are incorporating creativity, humor, and major stars in an effort to capture passengers’ attention, increase engagement with safety instructions, and encourage them to watch the video from beginning to end. El Al’s new series was created with the same approach in mind, with the goal of transforming the safety briefing into a contemporary experience for passengers, tailored to 2026,” the airline said in a press release.

The new safety film was produced in collaboration with Samsung, integrating the Samsung Galaxy series of devices and Galaxy AI technology as an integral part of the videos’ storylines and visual language.

“The new safety video series combines creativity, technology, and high-quality content,” El Al CEO Levy Halevy said. “The choice of Israeli stars who have achieved success on the international stage reflects El Al’s values – excellence, innovation, and Israeli pride – and adds another dimension of connection to Israel and to the story we bring to the world.”

Suchard’s video may have deserved its time in the stars, but some passengers thought it had outlived its expiration date.

“It was alright at first, but by the 10th time you see it, you want to scream,” frequent flyer Tania Bar said.

Although Suchard is disappearing from the little screens in front of passengers’ seats, he’s landing with pride.

“The knowledge that this creation was part of so many people’s memories is the biggest gift I could have received,” he said.

However, a representative for the Seven of Hearts said that the scorned card had gone into seclusion and was considering legal action.

Rachel Zegler's Tearful Speech: Love for 'Everybody' Amid Snow White Drama

Rachel Zegler is showing gratitude for her Snow White role.

Ahead of a recent early screening of the live-action Snow White remake, Zegler surprised fans when she appeared and gave an emotional speech about what playing the Disney princess has meant to her.

"This is a movie that is so close to my heart. I auditioned for this movie when I was 19 years old and I am about to turn 24," Zegler said, in video shared by Disney. "So it's a really big chunk of my life, and about five of the seven years of my career, which is crazy. I love everybody in this movie so dearly."

Zegler reflected on her journey playing the titular character, who first appeared in 1937's animated Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, sharing that seeing the movie come to life has been "emotional" for her.

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"Coming to the end of this road of this release feels really crazy because when you spend so much time with something, it becomes such a big part of you and a big part of your heart. Snow White has really been that way for me and to see this is really emotional for me. So I'm going to try not do that," Zegler said, her voice cracking a little.

"I love her and I am so glad to see that so many of you love her as well," Zegler continued. "Her superpower is her heart. It's nothing supernatural. It's something that all of us have. Deep within us, there is an inherit good and belief in the kindness of humanity."

"I hope that you walk away from this film understanding what the true meaning of fair is. I really hope that for the world as well. Thank you so much for allowing me to be your Snow White. It means the world to me."

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Zegler's speech comes amid tensions plaguing Disney’s live-action remake ahead of its March 21 release, which has extended to both the West Side Story actress and her costar Gal Gadot, who plays the Evil Queen.

A source told PEOPLE that Gadot and Zegler have "nothing in common" due to their age difference and “on top of that, their political views differ, adding to the tension."

Zegler and Gadot have appeared at multiple events in the past to promote their long-delayed film, including at Disney’s D23 Expo in 2022 and at the recent Academy Awards, where they presented the Best Visual Effects category together. They posed together at the film's Los Angeles premiere on Saturday, March 15.

After her casting announcement in 2021, Zegler faced racist backlash from social media users over her being of Latinx background and playing the Disney princess. (Zegler is of Colombian and Polish descent.) Zegler also made headlines when she said in interviews that the new movie would modernize Snow White and that the original was “dated.”

While speaking with Vogue Mexico, Zegler addressed negative reactions over her casting as well as past statements she's made about the original animation, saying audiences were being protective over the famous princess.

“I interpret people’s feelings about this film as their passion for her and what an honor to be a part of something that people are so passionate about,” Zegler said. “We are not always going to have the same feelings as everyone around us and all that we can do is do our best." (Zegler's interview was conducted in Spanish. Quotes were independently translated from Spanish to English by PEOPLE.)

Snow White is in theaters March 21.