The renowned director, Taika Waititi, is all set to embark on his next cinematic journey with ‘Klara and the Sun’. The filming is slated to kick off in New Zealand and Australia come January 2024. The movie is a cinematic rendition of Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel bearing the same title. The plot orbits around Klara, an artificial companion, confined to a store. Armed with keen observational prowess, Klara scrutinizes the behaviors of all those around her, from the casual browsers to the passersby on the street, all the while nurturing the hope of being chosen by a customer someday.
Waititi, fresh off his 2022 Marvel extravaganza, ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’, starring the likes of Chris Hemsworth, Christian Bale, and Natalie Portman, is no stranger to the director’s chair. His directorial repertoire boasts of the 2019 comedic masterpiece, ‘Jojo Rabbit’, which bagged him an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Waititi is also prepping for the launch of ‘Next Goal Wins’, a biographical sports film, set to hit the screens on November 17, 2023. The movie chronicles the journey of football coach Thomas Rongen leading the American Samoa national football team.
Waititi’s directorial credits also include the 2017 superhero spectacle ‘Thor: Ragnarok’, the 2016 comedy-drama ‘Hunt for the Wilderpeople’, the 2014 horror comedy ‘What We Do in the Shadows’, the 2010 comedy-drama ‘Boy’, and the 2007 romantic comedy ‘Eagle vs Shark’.
The film’s screenplay is the handiwork of Dahvi Waller, a Primetime Emmy Award-winning writer, known for creating the FX miniseries ‘Mrs. America’. Waller’s writing credits extend to a host of other shows, including ‘Desperate Housewives’, ‘Eli Stone’, ‘Mad Men’, ‘American Odyssey’, and ‘Halt and Catch Fire’.
As of now, the cast of the film remains under wraps. The project is being produced by David Heyman’s Heyday Films, known for the ‘Harry Potter’ film series, ‘Marriage Story’, and ‘Barbie’, in collaboration with 3000 Pictures, producers of ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ and ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’. The executive producers’ roster includes Ishiguro, Rosie Alison, and Jeffrey Clifford, with Waititi and Garrett Basch expected to serve as producers.
The commencement of the project’s filming is contingent on the resolution of the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike. Australia, the planned location for the production, has previously served as the backdrop for Waititi’s films, including ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ and ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’. Meanwhile, New Zealand, Waititi’s homeland, has been the setting for his early career films, including ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ and ‘Eagle vs Shark’.