The first trailer for Klara and the Sun has arrived, offering a glimpse into the poignant near-future world imagined by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro and brought to the screen by director Taika Waititi.
Starring Jenna Ortega, Amy Adams, Natasha Lyonne and Mia Tharia, the film is based on Ishiguro’s bestselling 2021 novel and centres on Klara (Ortega), an Artificial Friend, or AF, designed to provide companionship to lonely children.
The trailer introduces Klara as she waits in a store to be chosen by a family. Despite being an older model in a rapidly evolving technological landscape, she captures the attention of Josie (Tharia), a teenager living with a mysterious illness. While Josie’s mother (Adams) questions the decision, convinced there are newer and better options available, Josie is drawn to Klara’s unique spirit.
As their bond deepens, Klara’s unwavering loyalty and childlike curiosity begin to transform the lives of those around her. Told largely through Klara’s perspective, the story explores what it means to love, belong and be human. At one point in the trailer, Klara turns to the sun, which she believes possesses restorative powers, pleading: “Please show me the way to heal this family.”
The trailer also offers a first look at Lyonne as the manager of the AF store, encouraging the outdated robots not to lose hope of finding a home despite being superseded by newer models. Elsewhere, viewers catch glimpses of Aran Murphy, son of Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, alongside veteran actor Steve Buscemi.
Produced by David Heyman, Garrett Basch and Waititi, Klara and the Sun follows in the footsteps of another acclaimed Ishiguro adaptation, Never Let Me Go.
Waititi has described the film as one of the most dramatic projects of his career, marking a departure from the broader comic sensibilities of films such as Thor: Ragnarok and Jojo Rabbit.
Australian actor Simon Baker was also originally cast in the film, though his role was ultimately cut. Speaking to The Nightly, Baker said Waititi personally broke the news.
“Taika sent me a text and he called me, and in his way, it was very witty and beautiful,” Baker said. “I remember sitting there going, ‘Wow, I’m so glad this happened to me in my 50s when I can have a laugh about it’.”
“As opposed to maybe in my 20s, when it would have just crushed me. I would’ve thought, ‘I’m not that good, I’m terrible’.”
Will Klara And The Sun Be Faithful To The Book?
Judging by the first trailer, the adaptation remains largely faithful to Ishiguro’s 2021 novel. It follows Klara, an Artificial Friend (AF) waiting in a store to be chosen by a child. Gifted with an unusual ability to understand human emotions, Klara becomes fascinated by Josie, a teenage girl living with a serious illness, and hopes to become her companion.
Set in a subtly dystopian future, the novel gradually reveals a world shaped by social division, technological advancement and difficult choices made in the name of opportunity. Rather than focusing on grand sci-fi twists, the story is told through Klara’s innocent perspective, using her observations to explore loneliness, hope, love and what it means to be human.
Powered by the sun, which she comes to view as a source of goodness and healing, Klara develops a deep devotion to Josie and becomes determined to help her recover. As she tries to save the girl she loves, Klara begins to develop something that resembles faith, sacrifice and even spirituality.
At its heart, Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel is a moving meditation on connection and compassion, asking whether qualities such as love, loyalty and hope are uniquely human, or whether they can also exist within a machine.
Watch The Trailer For Klara And The Sun:
