Taika Waititi’s film adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun has a growing cast. We found out earlier this week that Jenna Ortega (pictured above as Wednesday in the Netflix series of the same name) and Amy Adams have joined the production, with Ortega playing the titular Klara, a robot that a mother (Adams) buys to act as a companion to her daughter, Josie, who suffers from an illness. Klara, who is called an Artificial Friend in Ishiguro’s novel, then works, as Deadline describes, to try to “save Josie and those who love her from heartbreak.” The movie, like the book it seems, is aiming to make you cry your eyes out.
Today, Deadline reported the news that Josie will be played by Mia Tharia (Phoenix Rise). Tharia is relatively new to the Hollywood scene, though she also has another feature coming out this year called Sisters. Josie’s best friend, Rick, will be played by newcomer Aran Murphy, who is also the son of Oppenheimer actor, Cillian Murphy.
All this casting news suggests that Waititi’s adaption is moving forward as the writer-actor-director’s next project. We don’t have any official news yet, however, on when the film will go into production or make its way to a theater near you. In the meantime, you could (re)read Klara and the Sun, where you’ll likely have your heart (once again) wrenched in a way that only Ishiguro can muster.
