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Klara and the Sun premieres in London amid widespread critical reactions

Taika Waititi's dystopian feature Klara and the Sun held its world premiere at the London Film Festival as critics delivered early reviews of the adaptation.

FTMQ Film & TV, written by our newsroom0 views

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Picture: Variety

The dystopian feature film Klara and the Sun held its world premiere on Thursday night at the London Film Festival, Variety reported. Directed by Taika Waititi, the project adapts Kazuo Ishiguro's 2021 novel of the same name. Speaking on the red carpet, star Jenna Ortega said she hopes the film encourages audiences to put down their computers and phones and focus on one another in the age of artificial intelligence. [1][2][3][4][13]

The film is directed by Taika Waititi from a screenplay written by Waititi and Dahvi Waller. Along with Jenna Ortega, the ensemble cast includes Amy Adams, Mia Tharia, Aran Murphy, Steve Buscemi, and Natasha Lyonne. [13]

Initial reviews published following the premiere provided critical assessments of the adaptation. Deadline described the film as a flat dystopian comedy drama, while Little White Lies noted that the film adds humor to the original novel while dispensing with much of its depth. The Guardian and ScreenRant similarly criticized the execution, with ScreenRant stating that the production struggled to capture the emotional core of the source material. [2][3][4][5]

Separately, Deadline reported that director Tim Burton is teaming up with Kazuo Ishiguro on a new untitled film project. The collaboration follows the recent completion of production on the television series Wednesday. [6]

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In short

  • Klara and the Sun held its world premiere at the London Film Festival on October 15, 2026.
  • The film is directed by Taika Waititi and stars Jenna Ortega and Amy Adams.
  • The screenplay was written by Taika Waititi and Dahvi Waller based on Kazuo Ishiguro's 2021 novel.
  • Author Kazuo Ishiguro is also partnering with director Tim Burton on an untitled feature project.

Sources

Every paragraph above points to the numbered items it rests on. Read the originals here.

  1. [1]Jenna Ortega Says She Hopes ‘Klara and the Sun’ Encourages People to ‘Put Down the Computers and Phones’ as Dystopian Film World Premieres in LondonVariety, 2h ago (the report this story comes from)
  2. [2]‘Klara And The Sun’ Review: Taika Waititi’s Latest Is A Curiously Flat Dystopian Comedy-Drama – London Film FestivalDeadline, 4h ago
  3. [3]Klara and the Sun review – send it back to the factoryLittle White Lies, 4h ago
  4. [4]Klara and the Sun review – Taika Waititi’s manic pixie dream robot sci-fi is a sentimental messGuardian Film, 4h ago
  5. [5]Klara And The Sun Review: Taika Waititi Fails To Capture A Quietly Emotional Dystopian StoryScreenRant, 4h ago
  6. [6]Tim Burton And ‘Klara And The Sun’ Author Kazuo Ishiguro Team On Secret Project – The DishDeadline, 7h ago
  7. [7]Danny Trejo’s Son Explains His Dad’s Pro-ICE Movie Controversy: ‘People Are Not Turning Down Work’IndieWire, 3h ago
  8. [8]Jenna Ortega Says She Hopes ‘Klara and the Sun’ Encourages People to ‘Put Down the Computers and Phones’ as Dystopian Film World Premieres in LondonIMDb, 1h ago
  9. [9]CONTEST: Tickets to see Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun on the Big ScreenToronto Guardian, 3h ago
  10. [10]Klara and the Sun is mind-meltingly dreadfulThe Telegraph, 4h ago
  11. [11]2026 BFI London Film Festival Review – Klara and The SunFlickering Myth, 5h ago

Background

  1. [12]Jenna Elfman on Wikipedia
  2. [13]Klara and the Sun (film) on Wikipedia
  3. [14]Rotting in the Sun on Wikipedia

Our newsroom writes these reports with the help of software, from the 14 sources listed and nothing else, and checks them against those sources. Facts can still be wrong or move on; the originals are the record. Spotted a mistake? Write to daniel@monsterkong.com.

Earlier reports of ours on the same people and subjects.

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