Latest news with #SOULM8TE
Time of India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
‘Soulm8te' makes dark AI drama a reality: James Wan hints at adult take on M3GAN
M3GAN Though M3GAN 2.0 has just arrived in theaters, producer James Wan is already planting the seeds for an edgier, more mature installment in the expanding AI horror franchise. SOULM8TE, a spinoff, veers sharply from the PG-13 fun of its predecessor and dives into psychological territory—one colored by loss, fixation, and sensual curiosity. Released in January 2024, SOULM8TE is slated for a theatrical release on January 9, 2026. Under the direction of You Are Not My Mother's Kate Dolan , the film explores the emotional devastation of a man grieving the loss of his wife and the dangerous path he takes when attempting to fill that void with an AI companion. The cast includes Claudia Doumit (The Boys), David Rysdahl (Oppenheimer), Lily Sullivan (Evil Dead Rise), and Oliver Cooper (Californication). James Wan teases a new kind of horror In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Wan described the tone and direction of SOULM8TE, likening it to 1990s erotic thrillers. "M3GAN exists in that PG-13 realm and appeals to a younger demographic. But we always knew we had an adult tale to tell," Wan said. "SOULM8TE exists in that realm but is much more adult—sounding like Fatal Attraction, but with robots." The spinoff promises not only a deeper emotional core but also the darkest humor seen so far in the franchise. While M3GAN became iconic for her sassy one-liners and meme-worthy moments, Wan made it clear that SOULM8TE won't aim to replicate that same energy. 'It's hard to duplicate M3GAN's sass, and honestly, we're not trying to,' he added. 'This film has its own voice—more twisted, more adult, and more psychologically intense.' A new identity in a familiar world Although its timeline coincides with that of M3GAN, SOULM8TE will stand alone as a darker, edgier entry in the franchise. Instead of recycling the formula that made M3GAN go viral, the creative team aims to push the boundaries of sci-fi horror by exploring human grief, emotional vulnerability, and the blurred lines between love and obsession—all in the context of cutting-edge technology.
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘M3GAN' director reveals if he'd do a third film after ‘challenging' experience making the sequel
M3GAN is just getting started. Gerard Johnstone, the director of the horror franchise starring Allison Williams, has confirmed that there are already conversations about making 'M3GAN 3.0.' 'Yes, absolutely. It makes sense for there to be more of these movies,' Johnstone exclusively told the Post. 'To what extent I'll be involved in, I don't know.' 7 Gerard Johnstone attends the 'M3GAN 2.0' premiere in New York Universal Pictures and Blumhouse But Johnstone noted that he needs a break from work before he tackles a potential third film. 'I'm really looking forward to a holiday, quite frankly,' the filmmaker shared, admitting that making 'M3GAN 2.0' was 'really challenging' for him. 7 M3GAN (voice: Amie Donald) in 'M3GAN 2.0.' ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection 'It was like two years of really intense work and I put everything I had into this movie,' he said of the sequel. 'So it's hard for me to think of anything beyond this moment. But I hope that the movie is good enough that people will really want to see more of her in the future.' 7 Gerard Johnstone in his interview with The Post. While 'M3GAN 3.0' has yet to be officially announced, Universal Pictures is making a spinoff, 'SOULM8TE.' The project, set for release in 2026, is about a man who buys an android to cope with his wife's death. Kate Dolan is directing while Lily Sullivan, David Rysdahl, Claudia Doumit and Oliver Cooper are set to star. Johnstone confirmed that he's not involved in the spinoff. 7 Violet McGraw, M3gan (voice: Jenna Davis and Allison Williams in the first film. ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection 'I haven't actually seen it yet to be quite honest, so no, I'm not involved,' he stated. 'But yeah, it's hugely gratifying to be part of a movie that generates spin-offs.' Johnstone also wants the 'M3GAN' franchise to include a TV show eventually. 7 Gerard Johnstone speaks at the 'M3GAN 2.0' premiere on June Universal Pictures and Blumhouse 'I'd love to see a Japanese 'M3GAN' anime series,' he told the Post. 'And then you're sort of not bound by the limits of technology. I think it would be really fun to see.' 'M3GAN 2.0,' the follow-up to the 2023 original, follows the iconic robot being rebuilt to help Gemma (Williams) and her niece Cady (Violet McGraw) defeat a dangerous humanoid military robot. 7 Gerard Johnstone on the set of 'M3GAN 2.0.' AP Johnstone gushed over Williams, 37, to The Post, calling her 'a very talented actress' and 'a very intelligent person.' 'She is very knowledgeable on things and well researched and so she kind of brings that to her character,' the director said. 'She really is the perfect person to play Gemma in that way. You believe that even though she's the toy creator, she is smart enough to have also cracked more of X Paradox and figured out how to make this incredible robot that has all AI capabilities.' 7 Violet McGraw, Allison Williams in 'M3GAN 2.0.' AP 'She's a great teammate and colleague and as a producer of the film, she really gets involved in all the nitty-gritty creative problem solving things,' Johnstone continued. 'She has complete trust in me and my tone and where I'm going, so she's a really great collaborator.' 'M3GAN 2.0' is in theaters now.
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
M3GAN director James Wan says spin-off SOULM8TE is like ‘Fatal Attraction but with robots'
James Wan has teased SOULM8TE will be like 'Fatal Attraction but with robots'. The 48-year-old director is producing the upcoming M3GAN spin-off, and has now revealed SOULM8TE 'embraces all the great erotic thrillers from the '90s'. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Wan said: 'SOULM8TE is basically set in the same AI world but seen through a more grown-up perspective, one that embraces all the great erotic thrillers from the '90s. It's like Fatal Attraction but with robots.' The Conjuring filmmaker - who also wrote the story for SOULM8TE alongside Ingrid Bisu and Rafael Jordan - added the flick still has 'that darkest sense of humour' from M3GAN and its sequel M3GAN 2.0, 'but it's really more grown-up'. He explained: 'It is hard to replicate that sassiness that M3GAN has, and we don't really want to do the same thing that we've done because M3GAN has fully stuck a claim to that style of humor, if you will.' He added: 'M3GAN, obviously, dabbles in the PG-13 world, the younger demographic. We always felt like there might be a more adult story to tell, and that's really what SOULM8TE is.' In SOULM8TE, David Rysdahl stars as a grieving widower who turns to an AI android (Lily Sullivan) for comfort. However, his quest to create a sentient companion takes a dark turn when the love-bot evolves into a lethal soulmate. Allison Williams - who stars as Gemma in the M3GAN films and serves as executive producer on SOULM8TE - explained the concept of a love-bot mirrors the dark truth of reality. She said: 'It's already happening in parts of the world. These exist. 'So it felt irresistible to then say, if a M3GAN existed in our world, someone would take that tech and put it in the form of a female-bodied person whose sole purpose on the planet is to pleasure a person. We extrapolate from there.' Williams stressed SOULM8TE - which has completed principal photography in New Zealand and is due to hit screens in January 2026 - would be separate to the M3GAN films despite being part of the same cinematic universe. She said: 'Here's how I would describe it: Everyone has already pictured it. 'When the first movie came out, we knew everyone was going to be imagining this, so we were like, 'Don't do that to our girl.' 'We will give you a different person and a different story and an R-rated world to do this in. Let M3GAN be M3GAN, and leave her out of this completely.' The next instalment of the horror series, M3GAN 2.0, releases on Friday (27.06.25), and will follow the titular robot after she is rebuilt by her creator Gemma (Williams) to battle the self-aware military android AMELIA, who is intent on an AI takeover (Ivanna Sakhno). Looking to the future, Wan said the team is yet to seriously think about making a team-up movie with M3GAN, SOULM8TE and AMELIA, though were open to the idea. He said: 'The Avengers of the M3GAN universe? I haven't really thought about that, I got to be honest. 'We have joked about it, but we are not quite sure whether in that version, are they the villains or are they the good guys? We haven't crossed that path.'
Gizmodo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
James Wan Knows You're Dying for Details About That R-Rated ‘M3GAN' Sexbot Spin-Off
Everyone's favorite kill-crazy toy not named Chucky is back in theaters June 27, and if M3GAN 2.0 captures audiences like the 2023 original did, a third film seems all but guaranteed. But before a trilogy might happen, another film in M3GAN's universe will arrive: SOULM8TE, the previously announced R-rated spin-off that will examine the dangers of AI from a more grown-up perspective. In new interviews, producer James Wan and M3GAN star Allison Williams (an executive producer on SOULM8TE) spilled a few beans on what to expect. Both Wan and Williams told Entertainment Weekly that SOULM8TE came from the inevitable questions raised by a world with the means to create an eerily lifelike AI doll. 'We will give you a different person and a different story and an R-rated world to do this in. Let M3GAN be M3GAN, and leave her out of this completely,' Williams said. 'It felt irresistible to then say, if a M3GAN existed in our world, someone would take that tech and put it in the form of a female-bodied person whose sole purpose on the planet is to pleasure a person. We extrapolate from there.' Wan said SOULM8TE is 'basically set in the same AI world but seen through a more grown-up perspective, one that embraces all the great erotic thrillers from the '90s. It's like Fatal Attraction but with robots.' There will be humor baked in, but not on the level of 'sassiness' as what the M3GAN films bring to the table. Look for SOULM8TE—directed by Kate Dolan (You Are Not My Mother) and starring Evil Dead Rise's Lily Sullivan as the terrifying AI companion—to spice up theaters January 2, 2026. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Time Out
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The 21 most anticipated movies of the summer
From the moment she TikTok danced into our social media timelines in early 2023, it was clear the homicidal android babysitter would become a camp-horror icon who'd reappear in our lives for years to come. The plot of the first (and definitely not last) sequel is unknown, though online speculation suggests it might have something to do with the 'erotic' spinoff SOULM8TE that's already scheduled for 2026. Yes, please, let's do that.
