In 2024, a historical coming-of-age film called White Bird was released as a prequel to the 2017 movie, Wonder, yet most of the original cast did not return due to the new release’s unique setting. For context, Wonder is a book-to-movie adaptation that tells the story of Auggie, a young boy with a facial deformity who finds love and friendship in his new school. The movie was a major success, earning $315 million at the box office and 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, the story is continuing through White Bird, a Wonder prequel.
Because White Bird is part of the Wonder universe, many viewers may be expecting to see members of Wonder’s original cast in the movie, such as Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, and Owen Wilson. However, none of these actors make an appearance in the 2024 film. In fact, the only actor from Wonder who reprises his role is Bryce Gheisar as Julian. Instead, the rest of White Bird’s cast includes Helen Mirren, Gillian Anderson, Ariella Glaser, and Orlando Schwerdt. This may leave audiences wondering: what is White Bird about, and how does it connect to Wonder?
White Bird’s Story Is Mostly A Prequel Set Before Wonder
What Is White Bird About?
The main reason why the cast of Wonder does not return for White Bird is because the new movie is mostly a prequel. White Bird follows two separate timelines: one in the present day and one during World War II. In modern times, Wonder’s bully-turned-friend Julian has moved to a new school and is spending time with his grandmother, who is visiting from France. Meanwhile, Julian’s grandmother, Sara, recounts the story of a friend she made during the Second World War who hid her from the Nazis and taught her about acceptance.
White Bird
may be connected to
Wonder,
but it sets up its own entirely new storyline.
Because of this, Auggie does not take center stage in White Bird. Julian isn’t even really at the core of this story. Instead, Sara is the most important character and her story takes the most precedence. Her life, and more specifically, her past, is what White Bird is truly about. Thus, there was no reason to bring back Tremblay, Roberts, or Wilson. This is especially true considering that Julian moved away, which means he doesn’t even attend school with Auggie anymore. White Bird may be connected to Wonder, but it sets up its own entirely new storyline.
White Bird’s Setting Makes It Impossible For Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson & Jacob Tremblay To Return
Why White Bird’s New Cast Is A Good Thing
Aside from the story at hand, White Bird’s setting also made it difficult for the original cast of Wonder to makes. Not only is Julian living in a new place, but the majority of the movie takes place in France in the 1940s. Neither Auggie nor his parents were even born at that point, so it wouldn’t make sense for them to reappear. In actuality, the historical setting makes it so that only new characters can be introduced in White Bird, including Sara and her friend, Julien. In many ways, this is what makes White Bird such a great installment.
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Although Auggie’s story was heartwarming and well-loved by audiences, White Bird is attempting to do something entirely different from the first movie. A regular sequel could have returned to Auggie when he was older or focused on one of his friends like Jack Will. However, White Bird takes an entirely different approach by centering on Sara. Though the connections to Wonder are harder to make out, White Bird’s new plot and setting allow the movie to stand apart from its predecessor.White Bird’s story feels even more important because it isn’t too similar to Wonder because of this.
How White Bird Still References Wonder
White Bird & Wonder’s Shared Themes Explained
Of course, White Bird isn’t entirely separate from Wonder. The main connection between the movies is Julian, who is still struggling to accept his bad behavior towards Auggie. His thoughts and feelings about the situation are what led Sara to tell her own story of acceptance. In a more physical sense though, White Bird also references Wonder by showing Julian browsing Auggie’s Instagram. Wonder still plays an important role in White Bird as they share the same themes.
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Wonder Ending Explained
The 2017 film adaptation of Wonder, starring Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, and Owen Wilson, features an emotional and uplifting ending.
Wonder and White Bird may follow different stories, but the messages embedded in those stories are incredibly similar. Both films are about accepting others for who they are, despite their differences. In the same way that Julian learned to accept Auggie’s facial deformities in Wonder, Sara learns to accept Julien’s disability in White Bird. Therefore, those who were touched by Wonder’s themes will almost certainly feel the same way about White Bird.
White Bird follows Julian’s transformative journey after his expulsion from Beecher Prep, as his grandmother recounts her courageous story of survival in Nazi-occupied France, where she was sheltered by a classmate amidst growing dangers.
- Director
- Marc Forster
- Release Date
- October 4, 2024
- Writers
- Mark Bomback
- Cast
- Ariella Glaser , Orlando Schwerdt , Bryce Gheisar , Gillian Anderson , Helen Mirren , Jo Stone-Fewings , Patsy Ferran , Stuart McQuarrie , Olivia Ross , Ishai Golan , Nadine Leon Gobet , John Bubniak , Jim High , Philip Lenkowsky , James Beaumont , Teagan Stark , Priya Ghotane , Yelisey Kazakevich , Jem Matthews , Sam Talacko , Timon McLean , Selma Kaymakci , Lily Huong Mac , Adam Bakule , Anise Napoleao dos Reis , Jordan Cramond , Laura Hudečková
- Runtime
- 121 Minutes
Wonder is a 2017 Drama directed by Stephen Chbosky and starring Jacob Tremblay, Owen Wilson, and Julia Roberts. The plot follows the heartwarming story of a young boy with a facial deformity that attends fifth grade at a public school.
- Director
- Stephen Chbosky
- Release Date
- November 17, 2017
- Writers
- Steve Conrad , R.J. Palacio , Jack Thorne , Stephen Chbosky
- Cast
- Ali Liebert , Mandy Patinkin , Bryce Gheisar , Nadji Jeter , Izabela Vidovic , Julia Roberts , Noah Jupe , Owen Wilson , Sonia Braga , Jacob Tremblay , Millie Davis , Daveed Diggs
- Runtime
- 113 Minutes