Wonderis back, continuing the story of the importance of kindness and spreading that message to all its viewers.White Birdwill be the new sequel to 2017’sThe Wonderand will bebased on a novelby R.J. Palacio.
Released in 2017,Wonderis a coming-of-age drama that melted the hearts of fans, telling the story of young 10-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 theimportance of being kindthe hard way. Now, we once again dive into the world of kindness withWhite Bird; let’s take a look at everything we know so far.
White Bird
From the best-selling author of Wonder, the book that sparked a movement to “choose kind,” comes the inspirational next chapter. In White Bird, we follow Julian, who has struggled to belong ever since he was expelled from his former school. To transform his life, Julian’s grandmother (Helen Mirren) finally reveals to Julian her own story of courage —during her youth in Nazi-occupied France, a boy shelters her from mortal danger. Gillian Anderson co-stars in Marc Forster’s film White Bird.
White Bird: 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.
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With flashbacks and the majority of themovie 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: The Cast & Crew
White Birdwill essentially be the next chapter in the “choose kind” movement, with a scriptwritten by Mark Bomback. Fans will also recognize his work fromDawn of the Planet of the ApesandThe Art of Racing in the Rain.
White Birdalso boasts a talented cast, with Bryce Gheisar returning as our main protagonist, Julian. His grandmother is played wonderfully by Oscar-winningactress Helen Mirrenas 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.
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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’sRadioactive. 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 inThe 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 seriesThe X-Files, Anderson is still well appreciated today with her roles as DSU Stella Gibson inThe Fall, sex therapist Jean Milburn in Netflix’sSex Education,and even as important figures like Margaret Thatcher inThe Crownand Eleanor Roosevelt inThe First Lady.
Release Date
While we are excited aboutWhite Birdwe do haveto 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.
