Klara and the Sun Movie: Jenna Ortega, Release Date and the Book Behind the Film

By Ahaqir Ishaq

Jenna Ortega is bringing one of Kazuo Ishiguro’s most unusual narrators to the screen. The Klara and the Sun movie arrives in U.S. theaters on October 23, 2026, with Taika Waititi directing the adaptation of Ishiguro’s 2021 novel.

For readers, the attraction goes beyond seeing a familiar story adapted. Klara observes people with extraordinary attention, yet human behavior continually puzzles her. That gap between what she notices and what she understands gives the book its emotional power and makes her a fascinating character to translate into a performance.

Here is what to know before the release, without spoiling the novel’s ending.

When Does the Klara and the Sun Movie Come Out?

“Only in Theatres October 23” is the release date listed by Sony Pictures. The U.S. opening is scheduled for October 23, 2026.

The announcement is for a theatrical release. The official page reviewed for this article does not provide a streaming premiere date.

Who Is in the Klara and the Sun Cast?

Sony lists the following principal cast:

Aran Murphy, Steve Buscemi and Natasha Lyonne also appear in the announced cast. Waititi directs, and the screenplay is credited to Waititi and Dahvi Waller. Ishiguro serves as an executive producer.

What Is the Movie About?

Klara is an Artificial Friend who hopes to find a home. She forms a connection with Josie, a girl whose family is struggling with loss and a difficult mother-daughter relationship. Sony’s synopsis emphasizes the effect Klara’s loyalty and curiosity have on their lives.

That premise puts companionship at the center of the adaptation. The question for viewers is how a family’s relationship with an artificial being might reveal its own needs, fears and capacity for love. In the novel, Klara’s role as an Artificial Friend also raises questions about consciousness and whether giving care means receiving it in return. For more fiction and nonfiction exploring those questions, see our 10 best books about artificial intelligence.

Jenna Ortega’s Klara Is a Different Kind of Character

In Vanity Fair’s first-look interview with Ortega and Waititi, Ortega described Klara as a departure from Wednesday Addams. To prepare, she observed her nieces and nephews, particularly their curiosity and openness.

Waititi also explained that the filmmakers considered altering Ortega’s eyes with visual effects but abandoned the idea because it weakened the audience’s connection to her.

Those choices suggest a performance built around small gestures and reactions. For an adaptation of a novel so dependent on its narrator’s observations, where Klara looks, and how she responds, could matter as much as what she says.

The Book Behind Klara and the Sun

Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun was first published on March 2, 2021. Penguin Random House’s book page identifies it as literary fiction and science fiction, a useful indication of the reading experience.

The novel begins with Klara in a store, carefully watching prospective customers and the world outside. She hopes someone will choose her, but her ability to observe does not protect her from misunderstanding human promises.

This is a story that rewards attention to ordinary exchanges. A pause, an evasive answer or a seemingly casual remark can carry more weight than Klara initially recognizes. Readers get to interpret those moments alongside her.

Why Is the Sun Important?

Klara is solar-powered, making sunlight essential to her existence. However, her relationship with the Sun develops into something more: she treats it as a powerful presence that might offer help.

The Booker Prizes’ reading guide explores that connection through questions about faith, hope and whether spirituality belongs exclusively to humans. The novel was longlisted for the 2021 Booker Prize.

For readers, this is one of the book’s most interesting tensions. Klara’s beliefs can seem both unfamiliar and recognizable. She is trying to make sense of forces beyond her control, something the people around her also struggle to do.

Should You Read Klara and the Sun Before the Movie?

Reading the novel first gives you direct access to Klara’s narrative voice. Her perspective shapes how information reaches the reader, making it especially useful preparation for anyone interested in adaptation.

One question to keep in mind is how the film communicates the distance between Klara’s understanding and the audience’s. A novel can hold us inside her interpretation for pages; a camera can reveal a conflicting expression almost instantly.

If that sounds appealing, start with the book and leave detailed ending discussions until afterward. Once you have finished reading, our Klara and the Sun ending explained explores how Klara’s role as an Artificial Friend brings the novel’s questions about care, identity and human relationships into focus. That article contains full book spoilers. It analyzes Ishiguro’s novel and does not establish whether the film preserves or changes its conclusion.

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Read before watching: Find Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro on Amazon

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