Jenna Ortega Is an AI Bot Looking for a Friend in Director Taika Waititi's First “Klara and the Sun” Trailer
Jenna Ortega Is an AI Bot Looking for a Friend in Director Taika Waititi's First “Klara and the Sun” Trailer
Lily BrownMon, June 22, 2026 at 5:47 PM UTC
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Jenna Ortega stars as Klara, a solar-powered AI companion in Taika Waititi's adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's novel
The film explores themes of loneliness, family struggles and Klara's devotion to helping her human friend Josie
Klara and the Sun features a star-studded cast, including Amy Adams and Natasha Lyonne
Jenna Ortega plays an artificial best friend in Klara and the Sun.
The first trailer for the drama has arrived, offering a glimpse at director Taika Waititi's adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro's bestselling 2021 novel. The upcoming dystopian sci-fi stars Ortega, 23, alongside Amy Adams, Mia Tharia, Aran Murphy (Oscar-winning actor Cillian Murphy's son), Steve Buscemi and Natasha Lyonne.
The trailer introduces Ortega as Klara, a solar-powered Artificial Friend, or AF — a humanoid companion designed to help combat loneliness. As Klara waits in a store alongside other AI companions hoping to be chosen, she dreams of finding a person of her own.
Jenna Ortega in 'Klara and the Sun'Credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment/YouTube
"I know artificial friends aren't as popular as they used to be," says the store manager, played by Lyonne, 47. "But I still firmly believe that all of you older AFs have a fighting chance at finding homes."
Looking out the window, Klara quietly hopes for her chance. "Glorious sun," she says. "Please let today be my day. Let me find a friend."
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That opportunity arrives when a mother, played by Adams, 51, purchases Klara for her daughter Josie (Tharia), a teenager suffering from a mysterious illness. As Klara settles into her new home, she finds herself in the middle of a family struggling with grief, loss and strained relationships.
"AFs are like a blank canvas," Klara explains in the trailer. "We come out of the lab with the intelligence of a toddler, and then we learn everything from our humans."
As Klara grows closer to Josie, her optimism and unwavering devotion begin to bring light to the family's increasingly complicated world. But when Josie's condition worsens, Klara embarks on a mission to help her new friend, becoming convinced that the sun — the source of her own energy and something she reveres almost spiritually — may hold the key to saving her.
Jenna Ortega in 'Klara and the Sun'Credit: Sony Pictures Entertainment/YouTube
"I know the answers are out there," she says near the end of the preview. "Please show me the way to heal this family."
Klara and the Sun arrives exclusively in theaters on Oct. 23.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
