Wonder is back, continuing the story of the importance of kindness and spreading that message to all its viewers. White Bird: A Wonder Story will be the new sequel to 2017’s The Wonder and will be based on a novel by R.J. Palacio.

Released in 2017, Wonder is a coming-of-age drama that melted the hearts of fans, telling the story of young ten-year-old August, better known as Auggie, who was born with a rare medical facial deformity and has battled his way through various surgeries for him to be able to see, smell, speak, and hear. Until his treatments, Auggie was homeschooled, but as he enters a new public school, his courageous journey highlights the struggle of being the one who stands out.

As he is constantly bullied and excluded by a boy named Julian and his friends, Auggie must try and stick close to his true friends. After a nasty comment at Halloween and a fight that breaks out because of bullying, Auggie, his family, and his new classmates must realize, understand, and learn the importance of being kind the hard way. Now, we once again dive into the world of kindness with White Bird: A Wonder Story; let’s take a look at everything we know so far.

White Bird: A Wonder Story: Plot

In this movie, we follow Julian, who was expelled from his school because of how he treated Auggie. As he struggles to find where he belongs in the world, Julian’s grandmother decides to try and help him and teach him a lesson by telling him her life story (which she doesn’t often talk about) in the hopes he might learn something about kindness.

With flashbacks and the majority of the movie set in World War II, she details her life of courage throughout her youth in a Nazi-occupied France; we witness her and another boy both from different lives but both with one very important thing in common – the fact that they are both experiencing the extreme damage that hateful behavior can do.

As the boy is courageous and kind, he saves and shelters her, bringing them closer together and creating a very raw and beautiful relationship. Remarkably, amongst such devastation, they find love in the new life they have created, as the boy and his mother, in a heartwarming act of kindness, go to great lengths to keep her safe. In what is sure to be an emotional story, we learn that hate destroys things, and it is quite easy to be hateful, but it takes great strength, courage, and love to be kind, yet kindness costs nothing, even in the darkest of times. As viewers, will this incredible story of first love, compassion, and hope against all odds teach us a lesson alongside Julian?

White Bird: A Wonder Story: The Cast & Crew

     Lionsgate

White Bird will essentially be the next chapter in the “choose kind” movement, with a script written by Mark Bomback. Fans will also recognize his work from Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and The Art of Racing in the Rain.

White Bird also boasts a talented cast, with Bryce Gheisar returning as our main protagonist, Julian. His grandmother is played wonderfully by Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren as we follow her on her brave and heartfelt life journey. Mirren’s role is essential to the storyline but also in teaching and educating the viewers on an imperative lesson that we should all be reminded of in a world that can quite often be very cruel.

Through the flashbacks of World War II, we see Ariella Glaser playing the younger version of Sarah, Julian’s grandmother. This will only be Glaser’s second movie, her first being 2019’s Radioactive. Fans will surely be excited to see her addition to this important story. Another new addition will be Orlando Schwerdt, who plays another version of Julian, who is also relatively new to the scene. His most prominent role is in The True History of the Kelly Gang.

Amongst all these new faces on our big screen, we most certainly will recognize Gillian Anderson as Julien’s mother, Vivienne. Much loved for her early roles like FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series The X-Files, Anderson is still well appreciated today with her roles as DSU Stella Gibson in The Fall, sex therapist Jean Milburn in Netflix’s Sex Education, and even as important figures like Margaret Thatcher in The Crown and Eleanor Roosevelt in The First Lady.

Release Date

While we are excited about White Bird: A Wonder Story, we do have to wait until 2023. However, there is now a trailer for fans to dive into to get a head start on following Julian’s grandmother’s remarkable story of love.