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When Lionsgate released the 2017 filmWonder, based on the novel byR.J. Palacio, very few could predict the success it would go on to become. Produced on a budget of $20 million, the film will go on to gross $306.2 million at the box office amidst acclaim from both audience and critics. Off the back of that much success, it was only logical that Lionsgate would try to continue theWonderstory in some form.
Beyond commercial considerations, the premise forWonderis the sort of tonic needed in a world where love needs to be emphasized above hate. The 2017 film was a touching tale of 11-year-old August “Auggie” Pullman, a child born with a rare genetic disorder and facial deformity who had to endure bullying and discrimination from his classmates at a private school. Thespin-off sequel/prequelWhite Bird(previously titledWhite Bird: A Wonder Story), moves the focus to Auggie’s bully, Julian, and his experiences with his grandmother who survived as a Jewish girl in France during World War II. She sees the need to recount tales from her past as a means to teach her grandson some vital life lessons.
Editor’s Note: This piece was updated on August 07, 2025.
White Bird
White Bird follows the journey of Julian, a boy expelled from school for bullying, as he struggles to fit in at a new institution. His transformation begins when his grandmother shares her compelling story of courage during her youth in Nazi-occupied France, where a classmate offered her shelter.
Does ‘White Bird’ Have a Release Date?
It’s taken a while forWhite Birdto finally hit the big screen. The film’s initial release was marked for August 25, 2025, before being delayed to August 25, 2025. A month before its release, Lionsgate pulled the film off its release schedule. The film was then scheduled to havea limited release on August 25, 2025, followed by a wide release on July 10, 2025. But that release also never came to pass. In December 2023, Lionsgate announced thatthe film would finally be released on July 08, 2025, over two years after its original release date.
Will ‘White Bird’ Be Released in Theaters?
Yes, despite the numerous release date changes,White Birdwill enjoy an exclusive theatrical release. Currently, the film will be competing againstJoker: Folie à Deux, the highly anticipated musical sequel toTodd Phillip’s Oscar-winning filmJoker.
Is There a Trailer for ‘White Bird’?
Thefirst official trailer forWhite Birdwas released by Lionsgate on their YouTube channel on August 09, 2025. The shows the background upon which the film finds expression, scenes from Wonder paint the grim picture of bullying experienced by the young Auggie Pullman. The trailer then moves on to Julian’s grandmother as she tries to use her experiences as a tool to school her young grandchild on the dangers of bullying. A flashback chronicles her experiences in Nazi-occupied France during the Second World War when she is a victim of bullying by her peers at school due to her Jewish heritage. She relives how she survived because of the kindness of a friend and his family.
Anew trailer forWhite Birdwas released on December 19 by Lionsgate, also unveiling the film’s new October 2024 release date.
Who Stars in ‘White Bird’?
Helen Mirrenplays Julian’s grandmother Sara Albans. The Oscar-winning actor is a veteran of many successful period dramas. She has had lead roles inCatherine the Great,The Queen,Antony and Cleopatra,and the television seriesElizabeth I. With a career spanning over five decades, she has won numerous awards and is the only performer to have achieved the American and British Triple Crowns, having won one Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and one Tony Award.
Bryce Gheisarreprises his role from the 2017 film as Julian Albans, Auggie’s former bully. Outside theWonderfilms, Gheisar appeared in the filmsA Dog’s PurposeandThe 15:17 to Paris. He played the role of Herman in the popular Disney Channel sitcomWalk the Prankand starred in two limited series on Nickelodeon,The AstronautsandAre You Afraid of the Dark?: Curse of the Shadows.
Gillian Andersonplays Julian’s mother Vivienne. Anderson is most known for her prolific work on popular series such asThe X-Files,The Crown, andSex Education. Her work in film includesThe Last King of Scotland,The Pale Blue Eye, andThe Spy Who Dumped Me. The rest of the cast includesAriella Glaser(Radioactive) as the young Sara andOrlando Schwerdt(Children of the Corn) as Julien.
What Is ‘White Bird’ About?
The story picks up whereWonderstops. Julian has been sent home from Beecher Prep for bullying Auggie about his appearance. In the aftermath of these events, Julian’s grandmother visits and is moved to share a story from her past. It’s a tale of compassion and love, and Julian could do with some of that. Grandmère takes her grandson down memory lane as she chronicles her experiences in heat of World War II as a young Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied France. Thanks to the heroic efforts of her classmate and his parents who go to difficult lengths to hide her from the rampaging Nazis, she survives and lives to recount to her grandson the power of love and empathy.
The official synopsis forWhite Birdfrom Lionsgate reads:
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 (Bryce Gheisar), who has struggled to belong ever since he was expelled from his former school for his treatment of Auggie Pullman. 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. They find first love in a stunning, magical world of their own creation, while the boy’s mother (Gillian Anderson) risks everything to keep her safe. From director Marc Forster (Finding Neverland and Christopher Robin), screenwriter Mark Bomback, and based on R.J. Palacio’s book, White Bird: A Wonder Story, like Wonder before it, is an uplifting movie about how one act of kindness can live on forever.
Who Is Making ‘White Bird’?
White Bird: A Wonder Storywill be directed byMarc Forsterwho is just coming off ofthe sleeper-hitA Man Called OttostarringTom Hanks(which ironically was filmed afterWhite Bird). An accomplished filmmaker, Forster first broke out with the Oscar-winning filmMonster’s Ballin 2001. Since then, he has directed films such asFinding Neverland,Stranger Than Fiction,The Kite Runner,Quantum of Solace,World War Z, andChristopher Robin.
Mark Bombackpenned the script for the film. Bomback previously wrote the screenplays for blockbuster films such asThe Wolverine,Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, andWar for the Planet of the Apes, as well as the 2019 dramaThe Art of Racing in the Rain. Most recently he served as the showrunner on the Apple TV+ miniseriesDefending Jacob.
Matthias KoenigswieserandMatt Chessé(A Man Called Otto), frequent collaborators of Forster’s, are behind the cinematography and editing respectively. The 15-time Oscar nomineeThomas Newman(Wall-E) composed the film’s score.
The film is produced byDavid HobermanandTodd Lieberman, who previously producedWonder, and the book’s author R.J. Palacio.
