White Bird (film)
| White Bird | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster with original release date | |
| Directed by | Marc Forster |
| Screenplay by | Mark Bomback |
| Based on | White Bird: A Wonder Story by R. J. Palacio |
| Produced by |
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| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Matthias Koenigswieser |
| Edited by | Matt Chessé |
| Music by | Thomas Newman |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Lionsgate |
Release dates |
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Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $496,636 |
White Bird (marketed with the subtitle A Wonder Story) is a 2024 American coming-of-age period drama film directed by Marc Forster from a screenplay by Mark Bomback, based on the 2019 graphic novel of the same name by R. J. Palacio. A spin-off and prequel to Wonder (2017), the film stars Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Gillian Anderson and Helen Mirren, with Gheisar reprising his role as Julian from Wonder.
The film is scheduled to be released in theaters by Lionsgate on October 4, 2024.
Premise
After the events of Wonder, Julian has left Beecher Prep for good. He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied France during World War II, while being hidden from the Nazis by a distant classmate and his parents.
Cast
- Ariella Glaser as Sara, a young Jewish girl living in Nazi-occupied France
- Helen Mirren as Grandmère, a renowned artist
- Orlando Schwerdt as Julien, Sara's polio-lamed German classmate
- Bryce Gheisar as Julian
- Gillian Anderson as Vivienne, Julien's mother
- Jo Stone-Fewings as Jean-Paul, Julien's father
- Patsy Ferran as Mille Petitjean, Sara and Julien's teacher
- Stuart McQuarrie as Pastor Luc, the headmaster of Sara and Julien's school
- Olivia Ross as Rose, Sara's mother
- Ishai Golan as Max, Sara's father
- Jem Matthews as Vincent, Sara's crush
- Jordan Cramond as Jerome
Production
Development
In October 2019, Lionsgate acquired the rights to R.J. Palacio's White Bird: A Wonder Story. Palacio said "[t]he team at Lionsgate values artists and storytellers and has been crucial to expanding the fan community surrounding Wonder. They have been enormously supportive as I have been writing White Bird and I could not feel more secure that my new graphic novel is in the right creative hands at the right studio." The film is produced by Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman from Mandeville Films. Jeffrey Skoll and Robert Kissel from Participant executive produce. Marc Forster was announced as director with Mark Bomback writing and executive producing.
Casting
In February 2021, Bryce Gheisar was confirmed to reprise his role as Julian from the 2017 film Wonder, while Helen Mirren, Gillian Anderson, Orlando Schwerdt and Ariella Glaser joined the cast.
Filming
Principal photography commenced in February 2021 in the Czech Republic.
- Locations gallery
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Jungmannovo Square, Kutna Hora, Czech Republic doubles as WWII France -
Jungmannovo Square, Kutna Hora, Czech Republic doubles as WWII France
Release
White Bird: A Wonder Story was initially scheduled to be released on September 16, 2022, but was later delayed to October 14, 2022. In September 2022, Lionsgate removed the film from its release schedule. The film, presented as a "sneak preview", premiered at the 43rd San Francisco Jewish Film Festival on July 30, 2023, with a taped introduction by producer Lieberman.
In January 2023, it was announced White Bird was scheduled to debut in a limited release on August 18, 2023, followed by a wide release on August 25, 2023. However, in July 2023, as a result of the SAG-AFTRA strike, Lionsgate pushed the release to an unspecified date in the fourth quarter of 2023. In December 2023, Lionsgate redated the film for October 4, 2024. It was released in Italy and Croatia on January 4, 2024.