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 2023, 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 27th – and during an interview with SFX magazine, returning director Gerard Johnstone described the sequel as an action comedy with horror DNA.
Based on a story crafted by producer James Wan, M3GAN was directed by Gerard Johnstone (Housebound) from a screenplay by Akela Cooper (Malignant). Johnstone is working from a Cooper script again for the sequel. 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.
Allison Williams and M3GAN co-star Violet McGraw came back for the follow-up (reprising the roles of roboticist Gemma and her niece Kady), as did Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps (as Gemma’s associates Cole and Tess). 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). Amie Donald and Jenna Davis bring M3GAN herself to life.
The trailer for M3GAN 2.0 shows us that, this time around (as described by JoBlo’s own Chris Bumbray), “M3GAN has to fight a new AI called Amelia. M3GAN is kind of the hero BUT she also wants to kill Allison WillIams’s character. M3GAN is first revived in a Teletubby, but Amelia is hunting Cady and M3GAN still wants to protect her. They upgrade her body to make her taller, faster and stronger. Lots of action in it. Seems more like an action flick than the last one with tons of camp humor.”
Speaking with SFX magazine, Johnstone said, “Even though we are in action comedy territory, the horror DNA is absolutely still there, but the character of M3GAN and the way she carries herself is the most important thing. That’s also something we have fun with. You don’t know if you can actually trust her; you don’t know if everything she says is real. You don’t know if she really is self-aware or just an algorithm. M3GAN being a mistress of manipulation is something that you can take into several different stories and genres.“
What do you think of M3GAN 2.0 having an action comedy element to it? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.
