Two of Hollywood’s biggest stars with deep Disney connections are teaming up for a major new film. Taika Waititi, the director of Thor: Ragnarok and Thor: Love and Thunder for Marvel Studios, is directing an adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel Klara and the Sun, starring Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams. The film, distributed by Sony Pictures, is set to open in theaters on October 23, 2026.
As Variety reported, the science fiction drama follows Klara, an Artificial Friend, a solar-powered companion robot who observes the world while waiting to be purchased and is ultimately acquired to help a family with a sick child. The story explores themes of humanity, love, sacrifice, and what it means to truly know another person.
The Disney Connections
All three key figures on this project have significant ties to Disney. Waititi directed two Thor films for Marvel Studios, a Disney subsidiary, and his fingerprints remain on the MCU’s ongoing direction even as he pursues projects outside the franchise. He is also the director of Jojo Rabbit, which was released through Fox Searchlight, now known as Searchlight Pictures, another Disney subsidiary.
Jenna Ortega is a Disney Channel alumna, having starred in multiple Disney Channel series including Stuck in the Middle and Bizaardvark before breaking through into wider stardom. Though she is now most closely associated with Netflix’s Wednesday and the Scream franchise, her foundation in the Disney ecosystem makes her a recognizable name to Disney fans.
Amy Adams has a particularly rich history with Disney, having starred in Enchanted (2007) and its sequel Disenchanted (2022) as Giselle, the beloved animated princess turned human. She remains one of Disney’s most celebrated live-action collaborators.
About the Novel
Klara and the Sun was published in 2021 by Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro, also known for The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go. The novel received widespread critical acclaim for its gentle but devastating exploration of artificial intelligence and human connection, told entirely from the perspective of its AI narrator. A film adaptation had been in development for several years, with Waititi and Dahvi Waller co-writing the screenplay and Ishiguro serving as an executive producer, and Waititi’s involvement brought significant mainstream attention to the project.
Klara and the Sun opens in theaters October 23, 2026. For more on upcoming films with Disney connections, see our coverage of Waititi’s comments on the MCU’s future.
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