Once Marvel came calling, Taika Waititi was shot out of his comedy environment and was given the keys to a lot of blockbuster material. While “Akira” never surfaced, and neither has his “Star Wars” project yet, the filmmaker has spent the second half of his career vacillating between big-budget movies (two “Thor” movies for Marvel) and smaller-scale comedic indies. So while Waititi’s last movie, “Next Goal Wins,” was a Searchlight soccer comedy in a smaller vein, it was actually completed ages ago and held by the studio for the right date. Technically, the last film the filmmaker truly finished was “Thor: Love & Thunder,” so with that in mind, he’s pivoting back to—not necessarily indies— but something that feels more human and intimate with “Klara And The Sun.” And the cast for the picture is rounding out nicely.
So far, “Klara And The Sun,” which is sci-fi-ish in nature, stars Amy Adams and Jenna Ortega. The film is based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s New York Times bestselling novel of the same name and portrays a near dystopian future where artificial intelligence has encroached on every sphere of human existence. The book is told from the point of view of Klara, a solar-powered AF (Artificial Friend), who is chosen by Josie, a sickly child, to be her companion and prevent loneliness.
Klara is played by Ortega, and the AF is purchased by Josie’s mother, and Adams will inhabit that role. “This is the story of Klara’s quest to save Josie and those who love her from heartbreak and how in the process Klara learns the power of human love,” writes Deadline.
Here’s the book’s official synopsis:
From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, 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, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.
Adams is a six-time Oscar nominee, and who knows, maybe this is the one? The trade also reports that her long-awaited “Nightbitch” movie from director Marielle Heller will arrive this fall, which bodes well for the film and maybe smacks down some of the recent negative rumors about it.
Waititi’s attached himself to a lot of material over the years, including that aforementioned Lucasfilm movie that he has suggested is still coming, eventually, but “Klara And The Sun” definitely looks like his next movie. No shoot dates yet, but it sounds like a 2025 film at this point. [Deadline]
