A robot who worships the sun needs a sky worth worshipping. For his adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel “Klara and the Sun,” Taika Waititi skipped the usual grey, neon-lit future and took Jenna Ortega and his crew to New Zealand instead, starting in the golden farmland outside Wānaka. The film wrapped in April 2024, then sat on Sony’s shelf for more than two years. Now it’s finally hitting cinemas on October 22 and 23, 2026, so here’s where it was really filmed, and what you can actually visit.
Klara and the Sun at a Glance (TL;DR)
- Release date: October 22, 2026 (Australia and New Zealand) and October 23, 2026 (US), after its premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15, 2026
- Director: Taika Waititi
- Screenplay: Taika Waititi and Dahvi Waller, based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s 2021 novel
- Cast: Jenna Ortega (Klara), Amy Adams (Chrissie), Mia Tharia (Josie), Aran Murphy (Rick), Natasha Lyonne, Steve Buscemi, Rachel House
- Runtime: 116 minutes
- Studio: Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures
- Working title: “Tears and Rain” (some local reports said “Tears in Rain”)
- Filming dates: January to April 2024
- Main filming locations: Silverlight Studios near Wānaka (South Island) and Auckland (North Island), New Zealand
What Is Klara and the Sun About?
Klara (Jenna Ortega) is an AF, an “Artificial Friend,” a solar-powered companion robot waiting in a shop window to be chosen. She’s eventually bought for Josie (Mia Tharia), a bright but seriously ill teenager, and moves into the home Josie shares with her mother Chrissie (Amy Adams). In a future where genetic engineering has split society into rigid classes, Klara watches the humans around her closely and becomes convinced that the Sun itself might be able to save Josie.
The book was Ishiguro’s first novel after he won the Nobel Prize in Literature, and it’s quiet, strange and very moving. Natasha Lyonne plays the Store Manager, Taika Waititi regular Rachel House plays Melania, Chrissie’s housekeeper, and Aran Murphy (Cillian Murphy’s son, as the Otago Daily Times pointed out) plays Josie’s best friend Rick. Simon Baker was cast as Josie’s father, but according to a 2026 interview in Cultured, his scenes didn’t make the final cut.
The road to cinemas was long. The adaptation was announced in 2020 and finished filming in April 2024, but Sony then held it back for over two years, according to Den of Geek. It finally premieres at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15, 2026, ahead of its cinema release a week later.
Where Was Klara and the Sun Filmed?
Klara and the Sun was filmed in New Zealand. Shooting began in January 2024 under the working title “Tears and Rain,” first at Silverlight Studios near Wānaka in the South Island, then in central Auckland in the North Island, according to local news site Wānaka App and Stuff.
That choice says a lot about the film. The novel never names its country, and most readers picture small-town America. Waititi, who is from New Zealand, put that future in wide, sunlit landscapes instead. As one Tech Times writer argues, choosing to shoot “the future” in New Zealand, rather than in a familiar American urban dystopia, is “not incidental.”
Silverlight Studios, Wānaka: The Wheat Field Set
The first part of the film was shot on the Silverlight Studios site, a 332-hectare property next to Wānaka Airport, east of Wānaka (often spelled Wanaka) town. In late January 2024, Wānaka App reported that crew were building a set in a wheat field on the property, and that the local Luggate Fire Brigade had been notified because the work sat among barley fields. A local insider said the Wānaka shoot would take around 8 to 10 days, covering the first part of the film, with the rest shot in the North Island.
Local outlet Crux also spotted signage and security fencing going up at the site just before filming, and noted Waititi had been seen around Queenstown in the weeks before. The Otago Daily Times reported in February 2024 that the planned studio might be hosting its first project.
Readers of the book will know why a field matters. Josie’s house sits in open countryside, and across the fields stands Mr McBain’s barn, where Klara believes the Sun goes down to rest. The production hasn’t confirmed which scenes were shot in the Wānaka wheat field, but it’s easy to imagine Klara walking through it toward the setting sun.
Interestingly, the insider quoted by Wānaka App said the area was chosen “just for the location,” adding that “it could have been the Mackenzie Country,” another famously open, golden landscape further north.
Can you visit? Not the set itself. Silverlight is a private studio site and isn’t open to the public. You can still see the same big-sky farmland driving between Wānaka and Luggate on State Highway 6.
Auckland: The North Island Scenes
After Wānaka, production moved north to Auckland. Back in January, Crux had already noted online casting calls pointing to an Auckland shoot, and Wānaka App said most of the crew and trucks came down from Auckland.
By early April 2024 the shoot was in the city centre. Stuff reported that Jenna Ortega and Taika Waititi “shut down” a central Auckland street for filming, and Ortega was spotted around the CBD that weekend. Filming wrapped later that month.
The production hasn’t officially listed its Auckland locations, and it’s not yet clear which scenes the city streets play. A future city with a shop window full of Artificial Friends is the obvious guess, but treat any very specific address you see online with caution until the film is out.
Can you visit? Yes, central Auckland is all public streets. Exact spots aren’t confirmed yet, and this guide will be updated if they’re revealed after release.
Visiting Wānaka: A Klara-Worthy Trip Under Big Skies
You can’t walk onto the Klara set, but Wānaka is one of the most beautiful small towns in New Zealand, and its light is exactly what the film is about. Here’s how to soak it up.
That Wānaka Tree
The lone willow growing out of Lake Wānaka is probably the most photographed tree in New Zealand. Go at sunrise, when the water is usually calm and the mountains turn pink. A solitary figure waiting patiently in the water? Klara would approve.
Roys Peak
The Roys Peak track is a tough climb (over 1,200 m of elevation gain, about 5 to 6 hours return), but the view over Lake Wānaka from the top is famous for a reason. Start very early to catch the sunrise and to beat the heat in summer.
One big catch if you’re planning a trip around the film’s release: the track is closed from October 1 to November 10 for lambing, according to the Department of Conservation. Plan Roys Peak for mid-November onwards, and check the DOC page for current conditions before you go.
Glendhu Bay
A short drive west of town, Glendhu Bay is a quieter spot for a swim, a picnic or a sunset, with mountain views across the water.
Getting there and when to go
- Getting there: Most visitors fly into Queenstown, then drive about an hour over the Crown Range Road to Wānaka.
- Best time: Summer (December to February) brings long, golden evenings. Autumn (March to April) turns the poplars and willows yellow, and winter brings snow and ski season at Cardrona and Treble Cone.
- Where to stay: Stay in town near the lakefront so you can walk to the Wānaka Tree at sunrise.
Wānaka hotels / holiday homes
Queenstown flights or car rental
FAQ
Where was Klara and the Sun filmed?
In New Zealand. Filming began in January 2024 at Silverlight Studios near Wānaka, in the South Island, then moved to central Auckland in the North Island, wrapping in April 2024.
Was Klara and the Sun filmed in the US?
No. Even though the story is often imagined as American, all reported filming took place in New Zealand, in Wānaka and Auckland.
What was the working title of Klara and the Sun?
“Tears and Rain,” though some New Zealand outlets reported it as “Tears in Rain.”
Can you visit the Klara and the Sun set in Wānaka?
No. The set was built on the private Silverlight Studios site near Wānaka Airport. You can enjoy the same landscapes from public roads and trails around Wānaka.
When does Klara and the Sun come out?
It premieres at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15, 2026, then opens in cinemas on October 22 in Australia and New Zealand and October 23 in the US.
Why did Klara and the Sun take so long to come out?
Filming wrapped in April 2024, but Sony held the film for more than two years before setting an October 2026 release, according to Den of Geek. No official reason for the delay has been given.
Who plays Klara in Klara and the Sun?
Jenna Ortega plays Klara, the Artificial Friend. Amy Adams plays Chrissie, Josie’s mother.
