Taika Waititi’s “Klara and the Sun,” based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s New York Times bestselling novel, wrapped production in April 2024. It’s been 16 months now, and we still haven’t heard an update about this film.
Some had predicted ‘Klara’ might surface in 2024, but that never materialized. The same whispers suggested a 2025 release — now I’m being told you can forget about that too. According to my source, summer 2026 is more likely, though they wouldn’t go into detail about what’s causing the holdup.
Dahvi Waller (“Mrs. America“) penned the original draft of the script, with Waititi, potentially, having rewritten some, if not, all of it. Below is the novel’s official synopsis (via Penguin Random House):
Here is the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her.
“Klara and the Sun” stars Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Steve Buscemi, and Natasha Lyonne. It’s a talented cast, and many presumed it would show up at TIFF or Telluride. No dice.
Ishiguro and Waititi don’t quite gel in my books. On paper, it’s one of the weirder director/author partnerships in recent years. We’ll see how it turns out as post production seems to be continuing on it.
Waititi has been on a bit of a cold streak; he struck out with “Thor: Love & Thunder” in 2022, and his last film, the long-delayed “Next Goal Wins,” was shot in 2019 and finally released in 2023, to very mixed reviews.