James Wan is already brainstorming ideas about what M3GAN 2.0 could entail. Blumhouse's Jason Blum teased those ideas and explained why there's no need to rush the sequel.
Released in January 2023, M3GAN took audiences by storm. Far exceeding its twelve-million dollar budget at the box office, the horror film from Blumhouse Productions was so popular that its sequel was announced mere weeks after its theatrical release. After losing her parents in a car crash, Cady - played by Violet McGraw - is taken in by her aunt Gemma, a robotics engineer played by Get Out star Allison Williams. Quickly realizing she doesn't know how to parent a child, Gemma introduces Cady to a toy she's been developing at work so that Cady can have someone to relate to and confide in. M3GAN and Cady bond almost instantly, and though M3GAN functions as intended, Gemma and her team lose control of M3GAN, who begins doing whatever she deems necessary to protect Cady - no matter who gets hurt.
In an interview with Empire, Blum revealed that as production of M3GAN was finishing up, Wan already had several ideas about where the sequel could go. Though Akela Cooper wrote the M3GAN screenplay, Cooper and Wan were involved in developing the story and creating the film's stylish, witty AI-powered doll. “James Wan is one of the most creative, inventive people I know,” Blum said in his interview, calling Wan an "idea machine." Blum also confirmed that M3GAN's writers and director will return for the sequel, giving the film a solid foundation.
While audiences will have to wait about two years to see M3GAN 2.0, the wait should be well worth it. "The creative process suffers when you [rush]," Blum told Empire. "You pretend you're not making compromises, but you always do. So I wanted to give us enough time to make the movie great, and we have that now." Blum didn't clarify exactly what Wan's ideas were, but M3GAN's ending promises that M3GAN will return in some form, ready for revenge. Although M3GAN is defeated by Cady and Gemma, a shot of a camera watching the aunt and niece leave the house suggests M3GAN is far from gone. Between Blum's confidence, Wan's creativity, and M3GAN's hold on horror fans, the sequel sounds like an upgrade.
It's no surprise that Wan is full of ideas for M3GAN 2.0. As the co-writer and director of Saw, Wan's impressive horror career stands on the shoulders of evil dolls. Between Jigsaw's tricycle-riding puppet in Saw, the ventriloquy doll in Dead Silence, and Annabelle from The Conjuring franchise, Wan has an affection for creepy, killer dolls. With the help of Cooper - with whom he co-wrote the 2021 thriller Malignant - he's brought fresh life into his favorite type of villain and doesn't seem to be done yet.
M3GAN 2.0 is set to be released in theaters on January 17, 2025
Source: Empire