Some hate to say it, others love to say it, but Taika Waititi hasn’t exactly had much luck on the cinematic side of things since Jojo Rabbit. But, he looks to be manifesting what’s hopefully his comeback by harnessing the powers of androids, Jenna Ortega, and Cillian Murphy’s bloodline.
Indeed, per Deadline, Taika Waititi has found his next recruits for his upcoming feature Klara and the Sun, roping Mia Tharia and debutant Aran Murphy—the son of the aforementioned Oscar nominee—into a cast that already includes the likes of Ortega and Amy Adams.
Based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s New York Times bestseller of the same name, Klara and the Sun follows the plight of Klara (Ortega), an android designed to be best friends with a child (no, this isn’t going where you think it’s going). After a mother (Adams) buys Klara for her ill teenage daughter Josie (Tharia), Klara makes it her mission to protect her new family from heartbreak—an enemy that might just prove to be too powerful for Klara, but also one that will get her that much closer to being human.
Waititi will direct and produce the film with an adapted screenplay from Dahvi Waller (Desperate Housewives, Mad Men, Halt And Catch Fire). Murphy features as a character named Rick, the best friend and neighbor of Tharia’s Josie.
Tharia’s feature debut Sisters is in post-production at the time of writing, but she’s best known for the role of Polly in the British coming-of-age drama series Phoenix Rise.
We’ll be seeing plenty of Ortega prior to Klara and the Sun’s unconfirmed release date, with the actress starring in such projects as the highly anticipated sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which will release this September, as well as Death of a Unicorn (alongside Paul Rudd), Winter Spring Summer or Fall, and a yet-untitled feature by Trey Edward Shults, all of which have yet to receive release dates themselves.
In any case, godspeed, Taika; you may need it most, but good movies are a win for us all.
(featured image: HBO)
