MOVIE NEWS – M3GAN was such a hit with fans that not only has the killer robot girl’s rampage been given a sequel, but a spinoff is on the way, taking the basic idea to the next level.

Atomic Monster and Blumhouse, the studios that made M3GAN a success and are currently working on the sequel, M3GAN 2.0, are teaming up to produce the erotic thriller SOULM8TE (meaning soulmate), which already has a director. The hero of the new film is a grieving husband who can’t come to terms with the loss of his wife, so he recruits a sexy female robot with artificial intelligence to help him. Fans who have trained on M3GAN can probably guess from this that the self-improving robot is self-contained, and few characters are worth the end of the film in one piece. According to the creators, SOULM8TE will evoke the glowing atmosphere of ’90s erotic thrillers à la Elemental Instinct, but will also feature a “startling technological twist”. The story is by James Wan, one of today’s most original horror filmmakers and head of the Atomic Monster production company, and will be directed by Kate Dolan, who will also write the screenplay.

Dolan has earned considerable acclaim with her 2021 psychological horror You Are Not My Mother, which is rated 89 percent on RottenTomatoes, where it is praised as a “masterfully crafted, slow-moving modern Irish horror”. The film apparently proved enough of a guarantee for Atomic Monster and Blumhouse to entrust Dolan with another of their prized possessions.

Meanwhile, all we know about M3GAN 2.0 is that the robot girl’s artificial intelligence will return after the destruction of her host and her move on to other digital devices; Alison Williams is also starring and producing, and Violet McGraw is back as her daughter Cady.

(M3GAN 2.0 – domestic release: 26 June 2025)

(SOULM8TE – release date: 1 January 2026)

Source: UIP Dunafilm