M3GAN Gets SOULM8TE Spinoff In Horror Universe Expansion
As we’re seeing from all the major studios these days, the ticket to selling tickets is all about churning out that IP through sequels, threequels, and franchises. Seeing where the dollar signs and picking up on this idea to make some extra cash of their own, James Wan’s Atomic Monster and Jason Blum’s Blumhouse are working on a new project titled SOULM8TE, which will establish itself as part of the M3GAN universe. This won’t be any sort of follow-up or prequel to M3GAN as a sequel to the killer AI doll’s story is already in the works, but will instead center itself on an entirely different piece of AI.
SOULM8TE
SOULM8TE is said to take place in the 1990s and is going under the genre of an erotic thriller so we can presume that whatever piece of technology the titular AI bot is, it’s going to go off the rails in a very passionate way.
Similar to what audiences saw in M3GAN, the bot will be brought into the main character’s life as a way to handle grief – this time in the form of a man losing his beloved wife. But, as the pair grows closer, the man’s new partner becomes overly protective, setting up nothing but chaos and, if we’ve learned anything from M3GAN, you won’t like it when it’s angry.
The Writers And Director
Kate Dolan (You Are Not My Mother) is set to helm SOULM8TE and also made adjustments to the original screenplay which was penned by Rafael Jordan (Salvage Marines). The story comes from Jordan, Ingrid Bisu, and James Wan, with the former being the creative mind behind The Conjuring franchise and the co-creator of the Saw and Insidious movies.
M3GAN 2.0
The only bad news about SOULM8TE is that audiences will need to wait for well over a year until the movie hits screens on Friday, January 2, 2026. But on the other side of that, M3GAN 2.0 is just a little bit over a year away set to arrive in cinemas on June 27, 2025.
So, we’ll still be getting a movie about deadly AI in 2025, and with Allison Williams and Violet McGraw already signed on to reprise their roles from the first horror flick, M3GAN 2.0 is off to a promising start.
Franchise Veterans
For James Wan and Jason Blum, SOULM8TE marks another path into franchise territory, something that both men are in no way, shape, or form unfamiliar with. As we mentioned above, Wan is the co-creator of both the Insidious and Saw franchises and the solo creator behind The Conjuring film series. Each of those franchises has spawned more titles than could have ever been imagined with copious amounts of money following every release.
Blumhouse’s Track Record
Likewise, SOULM8TE is far from Jason Blum’s first rodeo, as the producer has been making hand-over-foot for years specifically in the vein of horror movies. Blum’s Blumhouse was the one to bring audiences the most recent Halloween trilogy helmed by David Gordon Green and is the production company behind the video game series-turned-film-franchise, Five Nights at Freddy’s.
The only major miss the company has taken in recent years was Green’s The Exorcist: Believer, a blunder they hope to fix by bringing in Doctor Sleep director, Mike Flanagan, for the second installment.
As of right now, no further details surrounding SOULM8TE, including a casting list, have been revealed but stay tuned for more information.
Source: Deadline
