A pair of first-look images give a preview of the killer AI doll sequel M3GAN 2.0, which is coming to theatres next year
The sci-fi thriller M3GAN (read our review HERE, get a copy HERE) was such a financial success when it reached theatres in January of last year, it didn’t even take Universal Pictures and production companies Blumhouse and Atomic Monster two weeks to announce that they’d be re-teaming for a sequel. M3GAN 2.0 is set to reach theatres on June 27, 2025, and Entertainment Weekly has just unveiled a couple first-look images! You can check them out at the bottom of this article.
Based on a story crafted by producer James Wan, M3GAN was directed by Gerard Johnstone (Housebound) from a screenplay by Akela Cooper (Malignant). Johnstone returned to the helm for the sequel, and Cooper has written the script.
The first film has 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.
Williams and M3GAN co-star Violet McGraw both came back for the follow-up, as did Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps. This time, they’re joined in the cast by Ivanna Sakhno (Ahsoka), who is said to have landed a major part in the sequel, Jemaine Clement (What We Do in the Shadows), Timm Sharp (Blunt Talk), and Aristotle Athari (Saturday Night Live).
Details on the plot of M3GAN 2.0 are being kept under wraps, but Entertainment Weekly was able to learn that 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.“
The director added, “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.” And, yes, M3GAN is still obsessed with Cady in the new film.
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.
Are you looking forward to M3GAN 2.0? Check out the first-look images, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
Originally published at https://www.joblo.com/m3gan-2-first-look/