From director Kate Dolan and screenwriter Rafael Jordan, Blumhouse’s and Atomic Monster’s SOULM8TE is the upcoming M3GAN spin-off starring Lily Sullivan and David Rysdahl, with an additional appearance by Claudia Doumit, with a new trailer being released. Universal will cover a digital release following the cancellation of an initially planned theatrical one.

Taking place in the same universe as the 2022 sci-fi horror M3GAN and its 2025 comedy sequel, M3GAN 2.0, by director Gerard Johnstone and writer Aleka Cooper, SOULM8TE “focuses on an android called Sara who is purchased by a grieving widow, David, to fill the hole left by his wife’s passing. As with all modern horror tales based on the use of technology to replicate or replace humanity, things take a dark turn after David begins to tamper with Sara’s coding.”

Horror production icons James Wan and Jason Blum share production credits on this android-centred cautionary tale of desperation for companionship, while Ingrid Bisu holds story concept credit with Jordan and Wan.  Originally pencilled for a January release date in cinemas, the film changed distribution, resulting in it being pulled from the theatrical line-up, switching to a digital release when Universal took over in March this year.

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The first M3GAN film starred Allison Williams and Violet McGraw as a grieving aunt and niece who have to adapt to living together following the death of their sister/mother. A roboticist employed by a high-tech toy company, the aunt decides to test a new toy, M3GAN, voiced by Jenna Davis, to serve as her niece’s companion, with deadly results. The film grossed a global amount of $181.8 million against a budget of $12 million, thrusting its leading antagonist into gay icon status on social media.

The follow-up centred the story on a more comical, action sci-fi shake-up, seeing M3GAN being rebuilt to fight against an AI takeover planned by a combat robot made under the same technology. M3GAN 2.0 earned mixed critical reception and managed to gross $39.1 million from a $15-$25 million budget, causing Blum to state the studio “classically over-thought how powerful people’s engagement was with [M3GAN].”

SOULM8TE will be digitally released on August 1st.

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