Pilling up one credit after the next, Florence Pugh has been involved in multiple highly-anticipated projects over the last few years. From Black Widow to Don't Worry Darling, the actress has shown her versatility whenever eyeing her next role and has maintained her attention-grabbing skills on screen untarnished. Following the release of the Olivia Wilde film, Pugh's next project to come out is her interpretation of Elizabeth ("Lib") Wright in The Wonder. Directed by Academy Award winner Sebastián Lelio, this project is an adaptation to the screen of Emma Donoghue's novel set in the 1850s. Years after her breakout role in the period drama Lady Macbeth, the lead actress returns to her roots playing a British nurse tasked with uncovering how an Irish girl has survived months without having food.
From the release date to the cast, here is a handy guide to all the information that we know about The Wonder so far.
When And Where Is The Wonder Coming Out?
The film's worldwide premiere happened on September 13, during a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). After that, The Wonder was exhibited to multiple festival attendees during the following two days. Yet, don't worry if you weren't among the bunch who got to see the film during TIFF. According to a recent tweet from Netflix's official page accompanied by the movie poster, the period thriller will arrive in theaters on November 2 and will be available on the streaming platform starting on November 16.
Watch The Wonder Trailer
The film's official trailer came out on October 4, and it already hints that there is much more to Anna's (played by newcomer Kika Lord Cassidy) fasting practice than the village people can imagine. Lib is determined to uncover the truth, by observing her patient's every move over the span of two weeks. After that, she must report to the councilmen and present evidence to support her reasoning to Anna's miraculous survival without nourishment. A few shots from The Wonder were also released by Netflix, making way for a sneak peek at the nurse and patient relationship while the watch taking place. Some pictures also include other important characters in the storyline, such as Anna's family, the councilmen, and the investigative journalist who is also intrigued to learn the truth.
Who's In The Cast of The Wonder?
Florence Pugh, as previously mentioned, leads the ensemble as the English nurse tasked to watch over a girl who has survived months without food.
Alongside the actress are other names worth noting. Anna is played by emerging child star Kika Lord Cassidy, who previously participated in The Doorman and Viewpoint. The character is very fragile due to her unwillingness to eat, claiming that she can survive solely through manna from heaven. Tom Burke portrays William Byrne, the investigative journalist responsible for covering Anna's miraculous run without food. Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds, and Dermot Crowley play a few of the men that are part of the council that requested the nurse to look over the child. Belfast's Josie Walker is Sister Michael in The Wonder, the religious representative responsible for helping Lib monitor Anna.
What Is The Wonder About?
The story that drives this film is based on Donaghue's 2016 novel of the same name and the author wrote it after being inspired by a real-life phenomenon in the 19th century known as "fasting girls". In an urge to seek the truth through both the religious and scientific perspectives, Lib is summoned by the councilmen in an Irish village to conduct a thorough analysis of how Anna has survived without nourishment for months. While Lib looks for the scientific reasoning behind this, Sister Michael also observes the child to find a religious takeaway. The more the nurse gets to know Anna and her family's practices, the more she begins to care for her. During this watch out, William Burke begins to conduct an investigation of his own about the child for an article. While these three observers try to connect the dots about the girl's survival story, they begin to notice that there are many layers to decipher.
Lelio considers this film his first official project after winning the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2018. In a statement, the director spoke about his take on Donaghue's prestigious book.
"Bringing the powerful novel The Wonder by Emma Donoghue to the screen not only offers me the chance to portray the collision between reason and faith, individual and community, obedience and rebellion, but also to explore my own interpretation of what a 'period' film can be."
Pugh also shared her thoughts on being a part of this production through a post on social media alongside a picture of herself wearing the period costume.
What Is Next For Florence Pugh and Sebastián Lelio?
The road isn't nearly close to an end for both the actress and the Chilean director. Already confirmed on the cast of the anticipated Dune sequel, Pugh will step into the shoes of Princess Irulan. In addition to this major role, she will return to the MCU as Yelena Belova in the 2024 release of Thunderbolts.
Wait a second, there is still more on the actress' plate. After collaborating with Netflix in The Wonder, Pugh will join another Netflix production as the lead in the series adaptation of John Steinback's classic novel East of Eden.
As for Lelio, the director had a brief stay at TIFF to promote this project before packing his bags and returning to his home country to work on another production. In 2021, Variety shared the news that Lelio would produce a documentary entitled El Porvenir de la Mirada. According to the article, the documentary will focus on the victims that were shot in the eye by Chilean police during violent protests that happened in Chile on October 2019. Filmmaker Cristián Leighton will occupy the director's chair on this project, while Gabriela Sandoval and Carlos Núñez from Storyboard Media will produce it alongside Lelio.