The killer AI-powered doll movie M3GAN (which gets its name from the fact that the doll is a Model 3 Generative Android) reached theatres back on January 6, 2023 – but months before the movie was even released, we were hearing that Universal Pictures was so pleased with it, sequel discussions were already underway. And less than two weeks after M3GAN made its way out into the world, Universal officially announced that we’ll be getting M3GAN 2.0 in 2025. The release date has changed a couple of times since then, moving from January 17 to May 16 to June 25, but the project has made its way through production and looks likely to stick with that June release date. In anticipation of the killer doll’s return, we have now put together a list of Everything We Know About M3GAN 2.0.
CREATIVE TEAM
The story for the original M3GAN originated from producer James Wan, with Wan’s Malignant and The Nun II collaborator Akela Cooper fleshing the idea out into a screenplay. In case you need a refresher, the first movie had the following synopsis: She’s more than just a toy. She’s part of the family. From the most prolific minds in horror — James Wan, the filmmaker behind the Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring franchises, and Blumhouse, the producer of the Halloween films, The Black Phone and The Invisible Man — comes a fresh new face in terror. M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma, M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes friend and teacher, playmate and protector, for the child she is bonded to. When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady, Gemma’s unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems — a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.
Gerard Johnstone (Housebound) directed M3GAN and has returned to the helm for the sequel. Details on the plot of M3GAN 2.0 are being kept under wraps, but Entertainment Weekly was able to learn the story was crafted through combining “a kernel of an idea” from Wan with an idea Johnstone had for the first movie. Johnstone said, “I had actually a different idea for the ending of M3GAN, which would’ve been interesting but probably not as satisfying. The good thing about doing a sequel is I got the chance to expand on that idea into a longer narrative. The idea James had fit really well with that. So, it was just a really good marriage of those two things.“
Before M3GAN was released, Wan hinted, “I always think of a bigger world. I don’t just think of that one story; I think of the bigger world. So if we’re fortunate enough to tell any other stories, we can pull from the bigger world.“ He also talked about the “bigger world” in an interview with Collider, “What I will say to that is, in any of my movies, whether it’s The Conjuring Universe, or Saw, or Malignant, or M3GAN here, we like to think of a bigger world. For me, it’s about creating the world, and knowing who the characters are, where the story could potentially go, and then building this bigger world, and then going into that and going, ‘Okay, I’m telling this particular story, but I know other stuff that’s going on.’ So if we’re fortunate enough to have sequels, then we have an idea of where we want to go.” And when he saw that the film had a successful opening weekend, he wrote on social media, “Hopefully what all this means is that we get the chance to explore the bigger world of A.I. and perhaps witness — M3gan’s Revenge?“
During an interview with Empire Magazine, Wan said we can expect to see the sequel lean further into exploring concerns about AI. “M3GAN is coming back in a big way. The first film came just at the right time [when concerns about AI were mounting], and we’re definitely leaning into that on the next one. We’re exploring the AI universe even further.“
Before work began on the sequel, Johnstone made sure the creative team got together for a debrief on the first movie, “like a post-game analysis, and look at what worked and how we can do it again.” He told Entertainment Weekly, “It was really important that the sequel is a response to what people really loved about the first movie, but also this evolving conversation and fear that we’re having about how A.I. is changing us and changing our children and changing society. In a way, M3GAN is a personification of all of those fears.“
All we know about the script for M3GAN 2.0, which was written by Akela Cooper, is that is continues the story of “Gemma as a reluctant parent, the Frankenstein’s monster element, and the real-world parallels around A.I.” Of course, M3GAN finds a way to return, and she is said to still be very much obsessed with Cady, who might be taking after her aunt by working on robotics.
M3GAN 2.0 is being produced by James Wan, Jason Blum, and Allison Williams, with Johnstone executive producing alongside Mark Katchur, Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Ryan Turek, Adam Hendricks, and Greg Gilreath.
CAST
M3GAN stars Violet McGraw and Allison Williams are back for the sequel, reprising the roles of Cady and Gemma, respectively. Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps are also returning from the first movie, playing Gemma’s colleagues Cole and Tess. New additions include Ivanna Sakhno (Ahsoka), Jemaine Clement (What We Do in the Shadows), Timm Sharp (Blunt Talk), and Aristotle Athari (Saturday Night Live). When Sakhno was cast, Deadline reported that she had landed “a major part” in the sequel, but details on the character she’ll be playing haven’t been revealed.
Then there’s M3GAN, and Williams told New York Comic Con attendees that M3GAN herself is a diva. “Animatronics are, you know, temperamental. Sometimes she is rolled onto set. The vibe shifts in the room. It gets way spookier. It was fun to do it the second time. ‘Okay, so we know how this is achieved. We know how to do it.’ We can have a little bit more fun with it. And make it bigger and more expansive, without giving too much away.“ Attendees were also shown a video from M3GAN, who said, “Hi, New York Comic Con! Miss me? Sorry I couldn’t be there, because I’m slaying on set for my killer new film M3GAN 2.0. I’ve been upgraded. See you nerds in June.“
M3GAN will be sporting some new looks this time around because, as Johnstone said to Entertainment Weekly, “She’s a living doll, and part of the fun of having a doll is being able to play dress-up. We had a couple of looks in the first film, but I wanted 10 different looks for M3GAN. For the sequel, I felt like here’s a chance to do that.“
FRANCHISE
Whether or not M3GAN 2.0 is a financial success at the box office, the franchise is still going to expand, as Wan’s company Atomic Monster and Blumhouse are making a movie called SOULM8TE, which is set in the same world as the M3GAN films. Wan, his wife Ingrid Bisu, and Rafael Jordan (Salvage Marines) crafted the story for this one, with Jordan writing the first draft of the screenplay. Kate Dolan (You Are Not My Mother) is on board to direct the film and has done her own rewrite of the script. SOULM8TE will show us what happens when a man acquires an Artificially Intelligent android to cope with the loss of his recently deceased wife. In an attempt to create a truly sentient partner, he inadvertently turns a harmless lovebot into a deadly soulmate. David Rysdahl (Oppenheimer) is playing the man, while Lily Sullivan (Evil Dead Rise) plays the android. Claudia Doumit (The Boys) is also in the cast, playing an unspecified role. SOULM8TE is set to reach theatres on January 2, 2026, about six months after M3GAN 2.0. James Wan and Jason Blum are producing SOULM8TE, while Michael Clear and Judson Scott of Atomic Monster serve as executive producers with with Ingrid Bisu. Alayna Glasthal is the executive leading the project for Atomic Monster.
If M3GAN 2.0 is a success, chances are good that we’ll see M3GAN again, because Wan and Blumhouse have brought the world several franchises with multiple installments. There have been jokes about Chucky, Annabelle, and even Fast & Furious crossovers, but those don’t seem likely. Instead, we’ll probably just see M3GAN continue to dance and kill as the years go by. Johnstone knows what sort of sequel he would like to see down the line: “Just jokingly, whenever the producers asked me what I think about a sequel, I’ve always said M3GAN 3000. M3GAN in a Mad Max universe. I would absolutely line up to see that.“
And that’s Everything We Know About M3GAN 2.0… for now. Are you looking forward to this movie? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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