Katie Robbins (creator, writer, producer) and Lucy Tcherniak (director, producer) spoke with MovieWeb’s Matt Mahler about their new Apple TV+ series, Sunny. They discussed the innovative but complicated process of filming the titular robot using actor Joanna Sotomura, and discussed the Japanese setting and themes of the show. Sunny premieres Wednesday, July 10, followed by one new episode weekly through September 4 exclusively on Apple TV+.
Sunny stars Jones as Suzie, an American woman living in Kyoto, Japan, whose life is upended when her husband and son disappear in a mysterious plane crash. As “consolation” she’s given Sunny, one of a new class of domestic robots made by her husband’s electronics company. Though at first, Suzie resents Sunny’s attempts to fill the void in her life, gradually they develop an unexpected friendship. Together they uncover the dark truth of what really happened to Suzie’s family and become dangerously enmeshed in a world Suzie never knew existed.
Produced for Apple TV+ by A24, “Sunny” is written and executive produced by Robbins, through her shingle Babka Pictures. A24 and Jones also serve as executive producers. The series is based on the book “The Dark Manual” by Japan-based award-winning Irish writer Colin O’Sullivan.
Sunny marks the second collaboration for Apple, A24 and Jones following the global premiere of Sofia Coppola’s acclaimed film “On the Rocks.” Jones also recently starred in Apple’s global hit series “Silo,” series based on Hugh Howey’s New York Times best-selling trilogy of dystopian novels.