Marc Forster to Direct ‘White Bird,’ Follow-Up to 2017 Film ‘Wonder,’ at Lionsgate

R.J. Palacio’s graphic novel was published last October

Marc Forster White Bird
Amanda Friedman/Albert Knopf

Marc Forster is set to direct “White Bird: A Wonder Story,” the follow-up to the 2017 Lionsgate film “Wonder” based on R.J. Palacio’s graphic novel, Lionsgate announced Thursday.

“White Bird” is set in the same universe as “Wonder” and is the story of an 11-year-old bully seen in the first film who gets a visit from his grandmother from Paris and learns about her fairy-tale childhood before she’s forced to escape from the Nazis in occupied France.

Mark Bomback (“The Art of Racing in the Rain,” “War for the Planet of the Apes”) wrote the screenplay based on Palacio’s graphic novel. The producers behind “Wonder,” Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman, are also producing “White Bird,” as is Palacio.

Renée Wolfe will be coming on board as an executive producer. Alex Young will also serve as an executive producer.

“White Bird” was published by Alfred A. Knopf and hit bookstores last October. Palacio’s books have sold more than 15 million copies with editions published in fifty three languages, and the 2017 film “Wonder” starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson made $305 million at the global box office.

Forster last directed “Christopher Robin,” the live-action Winnie the Pooh movie for Disney, and he’s also known for “World War Z,” “Quantum of Solace,” “The Kite Runner,” “Monster’s Ball” and “Stranger Than Fiction.”

James Myers and Aaron Edmonds are overseeing the project on behalf of the studio. Bonnie Stylides negotiated the deal on behalf of Lionsgate.

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