Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel, Clara and the sunis a thoughtful, quiet reflection on humanity and its relationship to technology. It is told from the perspective of Clara, an “Artificial Friend” robot for a sick child named Josie. Ishiguro’s earlier works, incl Leftovers of the Day and Never let Me gohas been the basis for successful film adaptations in the past, so it was no surprise that Sony acquired the film rights before the book was published. Taika Waititi In 2023, he joined the project as a director and co-author.
On the surface, Waititi seemed like a bit of an odd fit for the material — it’s not particularly funny, and certainly not in the wacky way that has become Waititi’s signature. in a new interview with Vanity FairWaititi says he wasn’t worried about it at first. “I thought it was going to be the easiest movie I’d ever make, because when I first read the book, I was like, ‘I can make this movie. It’s going to be easy—nothing is going to happen,'” Waititi said.
But he quickly realized that it would not be as easy as he thought. Waititi told VF: “At first when I was writing, I said, ‘Make it a Taika movie and full of dumb, goddamn robot humor.’ When I was writing it, it didn’t really work. It took away from the book, and I was like, ‘Why am I trying to adapt this amazing book and break away from it?’
As a result, Waititi said: Clara and the sun may be his most dramatic film. Finally, this change in tone was liberating. “Sometimes I think you get caught up in thinking, ‘Oh, people want the same tone as something else from eight years ago,’ and it’s nice not to meet so many things or fulfill your own expectations of what you want to do,” he said.
Clara and the sun It opens in theaters on October 23, 2026. It stars Jenna Ortega as Clara, Mia Taria as Josie, and Amy Adams as Josie’s mother, Chrissy.
Want more io9 news? Check when the latest is expected Marvel, Star Warsand Star Trek releases, why next The DC Universe in Film and TVand everything you need to know about its future Doctor Who.
