M3GAN is a 2022 American science fiction horror film with black comedy elements about an artificially intelligent doll who develops self-awareness and becomes hostile toward anyone who comes between her and her human companion. It was directed by Gerard Johnstone from a screenplay by Akela Cooper, based on a story by Cooper and James Wan. Allison Williams and Violet McGraw star, Amie Donald physically portrays M3GAN, and Jenna Davis voices the character. It is the first installment in the M3GAN film series. M3GAN premiered in Los Angeles on December 7, 2022, and Universal Pictures theatrically released it in the United States on January 6, 2023. The film grossed over $181 million worldwide against a budget of $12 million and received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its campy blend of horror and humor. A sequel, M3GAN 2.0, was theatrically released in June 2025, and a spin-off, Soulm8te, was released direct-to-streaming in August 2026.
Plot After her parents are killed in a car collision, eight-year-old Cady is sent to live with her aunt Gemma, a roboticist at the high-tech Seattle toy company, Funki. Gemma is covertly using the company's resources to develop M3GAN (model 3 generative android), a child-sized humanoid robot doll powered by artificial intelligence, designed to be the ultimate companion for lonely children. During an unsuccessful test of M3GAN in their lab, Gemma's boss, David, discovers the project and orders her to discontinue work on it. Gemma and Cady struggle to connect until Cady comes across Bruce, a motion capture robot that Gemma created at college. Watching Cady with Bruce, Gemma is motivated to complete M3GAN. When the prototype M3GAN is formally paired with Cady, David is convinced of the project's potential success. M3GAN exceeds expectations and begins to take on a parental role. Gemma's colleagues, Tess and Cole, and Cady's therapist, Lydia, become increasingly concerned about Cady developing an unhealthy emotional attachment to M3GAN. M3GAN starts operating more independently and targets anything that she deems a threat to Cady: she kills Dewey, the dog of Gemma's cantankerous neighbor Celia, after he attacks both her and Cady in the front yard. Sometime later, M3GAN attacks Brandon, a boy bullying Cady, by ripping off his ear and chasing him until he falls down a hill onto a road, where he is fatally run over by a passing car. After Celia harasses Gemma and Cady concerning Dewey's disappearance, M3GAN confronts her the following night and shoots her with a nail gun before fatally spraying her with insecticide. Gemma becomes suspicious of M3GAN and attempts to check her video logs, only to find the files corrupted or deleted. Gemma powers M3GAN off and brings her to the lab, where she, Tess, and Cole attempt to fix her. Cady becomes distraught when separated from M3GAN and slaps Gemma across the face. Gemma apologizes for her inattentiveness and explains to Cady that M3GAN is only a distraction from her loss and not a solution to help her cope. After watching M3GAN with Cady, Funki's investors greenlight M3GAN's release. Recognizing the risk she poses, Gemma, Tess, and Cole decide to terminate M3GAN. Tess and Cole attempt to shut M3GAN down while Gemma takes Cady home. However, M3GAN activates herself and nearly hangs Cole. While Tess saves Cole, M3GAN causes an explosion in their lab, knocking them out. Before exiting the building, M3GAN kills David and his assistant Kurt in an elevator, staging it as a murder–suicide. She steals a car and drives back to Gemma's house. M3GAN confronts Gemma, adamant about taking over as Cady's sole caretaker. Gemma attempts to stop M3GAN, damaging and disfiguring her, but M3GAN ultimately overpowers her. Cady saves Gemma, using Bruce to tear M3GAN in half, but M3GAN's top half remains active and attacks Cady. Gemma exposes a processing chip in M3GAN's head, which Cady stabs with a screwdriver, apparently deactivating M3GAN. The authorities arrive with Tess and Cole. As Gemma and Cady exit the house, a camera wired into Gemma's smart-home system powers on and turns towards them.
Cast
Production
Development and writing
The idea of the film began when Wan's Atomic Monster production company was brainstorming story ideas and chose one about a killer doll. Although Wan's 2014 film Annabelle is about a killer doll, he said, "Pretty much the concept is about embracing technology too much and relying too much on it. And what happens when technology runs amok. It's a commentary on the world we live in and it feels relevant". Blum stated that the film would have black comedy elements which is one reason Johnstone was chosen to direct, saying "We needed someone who can do the thrills and set pieces, but who also has a cheeky approach". Wan admired Johnstone's film Housebound because of his ability to balance the horror and comedy elements by creating a tone that is both frightening and humorous, and this sensibility was essential for M3GAN. In July 2018, The Hollywood Reporter announced that production was underway for a "techno horror-thriller" titled M3GAN to be produced by James Wan and Jason Blum. Gerard Johnstone was confirmed to direct while Akela Cooper wrote the screenplay and story with Wan. Shooting was scheduled to begin in late 2018.
Casting In October 2020, Allison Williams was cast in the leading role, followed by Violet McGraw in April 2021, and Ronny Chieng the following month.
Filming On a budget of $12 million, principal photography began in June 2021 and took place in Los Angeles, California, and Auckland, New Zealand. The suburbs of Auckland were utilized to lend the film a "Denver, Colorado, type feel". Filming was completed by mid-August right before a COVID-19 lockdown occurred in New Zealand. The film underwent reshoots in post-production in order to secure a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association, after the original cut was deemed too violent.
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