Taika Waititi and Jenna Ortega Reimagine the Soul in First Look at ‘Klara and the Sun’
Today, we get our first official glimpse into one of the most anticipated cinematic explorations of the soul: Taika Waititi’s adaptation of Klara and the Sun. Based on the celebrated 2021 novel by Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro, the film marks a significant evolution for everyone involved.
A Dramatic Pivot for Taika Waititi
Taika Waititi has built a global reputation on eccentricity. From the colorful chaos of Thor: Ragnarok to the satirical bite of Jojo Rabbit, his brand is synonymous with “filling the frame with humor.” However, Klara and the Sun represents a major departure.
Speaking with Vanity Fair, Waititi confessed that this is his “most dramatic film” to date. While he was initially tempted to inject his trademark “dumb robot humor,” he realized during the writing process that the source material demanded something deeper. The result is a meditative journey into loneliness, love, humanity, and spirituality. For Waititi, this is a “difficult adaptation” that required a slow, careful edit to find a tone unlike anything he has released in the last decade.
Jenna Ortega: Shedding the “Angsty Teen”
The film stars Jenna Ortega as the titular Klara, an Artificial Friend (AF) powered by the sun, hired to accompany a sick teenage girl named Josie (Mia Tharia).
For Ortega, who has become a household name through the gothic, supernatural lens of Wednesday, this role is a deliberate step away from the “angsty teen” category. Waititi was keen to capture Ortega’s real-life charm and humor—qualities often hidden beneath her Netflix character’s deadpan exterior. Ortega herself noted that while the pivot wasn’t necessarily intentional, she welcomed the break from the darker teen archetypes that have defined her recent career.
A Dystopian Heritage
Set to hit theaters on October 23, 2026, the film co-stars Amy Adams as Chrissie, the mother navigating the agonizing complexities of raising a child in a dystopian world. The newly released images showcase a world that feels both alien and intimately familiar—a signature of Ishiguro’s storytelling.
Klara and the Sun asks a question that sits at the very heart of the BeingsMag philosophy: What does it actually mean to be a “being”? If an android can experience loneliness and devotion, does the distinction between biology and circuitry even matter?
As we wait for the October release, one thing is clear: Waititi is no longer just looking for the laugh—he’s looking for the light.
