Its trailer was one of a number of teasers released this week.
In 2017, a family film called Wonder was released and told the story of a boy named Auggie (played by Room's Jacob Tremblay) born with facial differences attending school for the first time.
Co-starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson as his parents, as well as A Quiet Place's Noah Jupe as a friend Auggie makes in school, the movie earned an 85% score on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its tender and uplifting story.
It was also a smash hit at the box office making $300 million on a $20 million budget.
As such, it's no surprise that a follow-up to Wonder is set for release later in the year, with its trailer just being released. That said, the direction the franchise is taking is quite a curveball.
Titled White Bird: A Wonder Story, the prequel/sequel will turn its attention to the character of Julian (Bryce Gheisar, reprising his role from Wonder) who in the first film was Auggie's classmate that bullied him.
Having been expelled from the school he attended with Auggie, Julian is visited by his grandmother (Helen Mirren) from Paris who recounts to him her experiences growing up as a young Jewish girl in Nazi-occupied France - which the audience sees in flashbacks.
To be fair, White Bird is based on a graphic novel by R.J Palacio, the author of the novel on which Wonder was based.
It's also directed by Marc Foster (Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland), was written by Mark Bomback (Defending Jacob) and will co-star Gillian Anderson so there is every chance it could be as successful as Wonder.
That said, making the follow-up to Wonder a historical war drama is definitely different, as is the switch in focus from Auggie to Julian.
Viewers can check out the trailer for White Bird below. It is set for an Irish cinema release on 14 October, 2022.
Clip via LionsgateFilmsUK
Meanwhile, here are the other big trailers that were released this week in the world of film and TV.
Hocus Pocus 2
Staring off with movies, this long-awaited comedy-horror sequel comes to Disney+ on 30 September.
See How They Run
Clip via Searchlight Pictures UK
This comedy mystery sees an inspector (Sam Rockwell) and a constable (Saoirse Ronan) investigate a murder in the West End of '50s London and will be released in Irish cinemas on 9 September.
Thirteen Lives
Clip via Amazon Prime Video UK
This survival drama tells the true story behind the events of the 2018 cave rescue in Thailand which saw a junior football team and their coach trapped inside a collapsed and flooded cave system for 18 days.
Starring Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton and Viggo Mortensen, Thirteen Lives is scheduled for a release on Amazon Prime Video on 5 August.
Ticket to Paradise
Clip via Universal Pictures Ireland
George Clooney and Julia Roberts will be reunited onscreen for this rom-com that will land in Irish cinemas on 16 September.
Paper Girls
Clip via Prime Video
Moving on TV, this Amazon series follows four young girls in the '80s who get sent on an adventure through time.
Landing on the streamer on 29 July, Paper Girls perhaps could be the next Stranger Things-esque sensation.
The Resort
Clip via Peacock
Last but not least, this black comedy mystery premieres on Peacock on 28 July and follows a married couple (Cristin Milioti and William Jackson Harper) on vacation who get drawn into an old case involving two missing persons.
The Irish-language thriller picked up an IFTA award earlier this month. Báite (The Drowned), a new Irish-language mystery thriller drama, is available to watch in cinemas from this week. Set in a small town in the West of Ireland in the 1970s, the movie follows 23-year-old Peggy Casey (Eleanor O’Brien), who runs her family’s pub/bed-and-breakfast. […]
Shot in Ireland, the action comedy features an Irish actress in the title role. Abigail, the extremely fun action comedy horror, is now available to stream on Netflix. A very loose re-imagining of the 1930s movie Dracula’s Daughter, the 2024 film tells the story of a ragtag group of criminals previously unknown to each other. […]
Movie fans, assemble! Welcome to the 88th entry of The JOE Film Club Quiz. This week, we are presenting players with stills from 10 movies. They then must select which film the images are from based on three options. Have what it takes? Play below and find out. Name the movie The Talented Mr Ripley […]
