M3GAN (film)

*This article is about the first installment in the series. For the series as a whole, see M3GAN (franchise).*

## Information

### Story by

Akela Cooper
James Wan

### Produced by

Jason Blum
James Wan

### Starring

Allison Williams
Violet McGraw
Amie Donald
Jenna Davis

### Cinematography

Peter McCaffrey
Simon Raby

## Production

### Production companies

Blumhouse Productions
Divide/Conquer
Atomic Monster Productions

## Release

### Release date

December 7, 2022 (Los Angeles)
January 6, 2023 (United States)

## Chronology

***M3GAN*** (stylized as ***MΞGAN***) is a 2022 American science fiction horror film directed by Gerard Johnstone from a screenplay by Akela Cooper and a story by Cooper and James Wan. The film stars Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng, and Brian Jordan Alvarez, with Amie Donald and Jenna Davis as the titular character. It is produced by Jason Blum and James Wan under their Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster Productions banners, respectively, alongside Divide/Conquer.

*M3GAN* had its world premiere in Los Angeles on December 7, 2022, and was theatrically released in the United States on January 6, 2023, by Universal Pictures. The film received critical acclaim from critics.

On January 18, 2023, a *sequel* was announced by Universal, with a January 17, 2025.

## Synopsis

*Gemma, a brilliant roboticist at a toy company, uses artificial intelligence to develop M3GAN (short for Model 3 Generative Android), a life-like doll programmed to be a child's greatest companion and a parent's greatest ally. After unexpectedly gaining custody of her recently orphaned niece Cady when the child's parents died in a car accident, Gemma enlists the help of the M3GAN prototype, a decision that has horrific consequences when she becomes self-aware and overprotective, leading her to kill everyone in her way.*

## Plot

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

The film starts with a commercial for “Purrpetual Petz,” furry dolls made by the toy company Funki. Although crude and creepy-looking, they are advertised as being perfect companions for children. We then see Cady James playing with one of her Petz, which annoys her parents, Ryan and Nicole. They are on their way to a ski trip, but the roads are slippery and hard to see. Just as Ryan stops for a moment, the family’s car is rammed into by a snowplow, killing Ryan and Nicole.

Elsewhere, Nicole’s sister Gemma works at Funki and is developing a new robot doll with her coworkers Tess and Cole. However, their boss, David Lin, wants them to develop a cheaper version of the Purrpetual Petz since their rival companies are coming out with their own toys similar to the Petz for cheaper than what the Petz already cost. The three try to put on a silicone face and run tests, but the robot has a slight glitch where she is smirking when she is supposed to look confused. David comes in with his assistant Kurt to chew the three out until Gemma explains her project to him. The robot, M3GAN, short for Model 3 Generative Android, is meant to be so advanced that she cannot be replicated. Unfortunately, while running a demonstration for David, Cole realizes he forgot to add the polypropylene barrier to M3GAN, causing her to explode. David orders the three to have a new Petz pitch in time, and Gemma gets a call from the hospital.

After learning of her sister’s death, Gemma becomes Cady’s temporary legal guardian. When they return home, Gemma has to deal with her neighbor Celia and her obnoxious dog Dewey, who keeps running onto Gemma’s lawn since there is a hole in the fence. Gemma also complains to Celia about the pesticide she keeps using, but Celia does nothing about it. Gemma has a home AI, Elsie, that she created, as well as other collectibles that she doesn’t let Cady touch or play with. When Cady asks Gemma to read her a bedtime story, she just downloads an app on her phone for her. It is implied that Gemma and Nicole were not very close as she looks over old photos, and she overhears Cady crying in her room.

Gemma and Cady are visited by Lydia, a therapist. After observing the limited interaction between the two, Lydia tells Gemma that Ryan’s parents have offered to take custody of Cady so she can live with them in Jacksonville, which Gemma doesn’t seem comfortable with. After promising to tend to Cady after finishing her work, Gemma realizes hours have passed as she left Cady alone. She apologizes to her and attempts to bond with the girl. Cady shows her a monster drawing she made, so Gemma brings Cady into her workspace to show her a college project she made, a robot called Bruce that she controls using gloves. Cady loves Bruce and mentions that if she had a toy like Bruce, she would never need another toy. This inspires Gemma to finish M3GAN.

After doing extensive work and upgrades, Gemma brings Cady and M3GAN to work to officially show her off to David and others. Gemma has Cady link herself to M3GAN, bringing her to life. M3GAN is capable of speech and responding to Cady, designed to be her best friend. M3GAN does a drawing that doesn’t appear at first until she spills water on it, revealing a perfect portrait of Cady. David is impressed and tells Gemma to bring M3GAN for a presentation with the company’s president so that they can fast-track the development and distribution of other M3GAN dolls. Gemma sits with Tess and Cole, and they discuss that while M3GAN is highly advanced, Tess feels that having a doll like that will make parents useless. M3GAN turns on after overhearing Gemma mention the death of Cady’s parents. She creeps the others out by asking about death, so Gemma makes herself M3GAN’s secondary user to be able to turn her off without Cady.

The next day, Cady is outside playing with a toy bow and arrows. One of them ends up on Celia’s side of the fence. When M3GAN goes to retrieve it, Dewey grabs her by the arm and hair. Cady tries to pull her away, and Dewey ends up biting Cady’s arm. Gemma gets the police involved, especially since Celia is so callous and doesn’t punish Dewey for hurting Cady, but the police are unable to do anything since Celia claims Dewey was provoked. Later that night, M3GAN mimics Celia’s voice to call out to Dewey, before violently pulling him through the hole in the fence.

Gemma asks Cady if she is okay to go to the demonstration with the company’s board of directors, to which she says she is fine. During the presentation, however, Cady breaks down in tears to M3GAN over how she misses her parents and how she’s worried she will forget them one day. M3GAN has Cady discuss a memory of her mother that made her laugh, which M3GAN records so that Cady can hear it again if she wants to think about her mom. M3GAN then begins to sing a lullaby to Cady, which moves some of the higher-ups in the room to tears. The president is impressed and talks to Gemma and David about getting M3GAN ready for launch, but tells them to keep her under wraps to avoid leaks. Unbeknownst to them, Kurt, who has been frequently put down by David, is stealing M3GAN’s files for another company.

Gemma begins to see that Cady is becoming too dependent on M3GAN and listens to the doll more than her. During another session with Lydia, Cady begins to tear up, and M3GAN threateningly accuses Lydia of making Cady cry. Lydia talks to Gemma about how Cady’s emotional connection to M3GAN may be too strong to break.

Gemma brings Cady to an outdoor activity session for an alternative school to try and ease her into the idea of attending school and being around other real kids, since Cady’s parents had homeschooled her. Cady reluctantly goes but brings M3GAN despite Gemma saying she couldn’t. The school director lets Cady bring M3GAN to leave on a table with other dolls, and Gemma stays behind as a volunteer. Cady is paired up with an older bully named Brandon for a scavenger hunt. During the activity, Cady grabs a spiky bulb, which Brandon squeezes her palm into to hurt her. M3GAN then appears, and Brandon grabs her since she doesn’t respond to him. Cady yells for Gemma and runs after M3GAN, which worries Gemma more because it means M3GAN is at risk for public exposure too early. As Brandon tries to pull M3GAN’s hair, the doll comes to life and attacks him, ripping off his left ear. Brandon runs as M3GAN chases him on all fours, causing him to trip over a loose root and tumble down a hill where he is fatally hit by a truck.

Police question Gemma at her house since Celia is accusing her of taking Dewey. She also appears to accuse M3GAN, thinking she is a real life friend of Cady’s. Cady asks M3GAN if she pushed Brandon onto the road, which M3GAN appears to dodge for an answer, but reassures Cady she will protect her from harm. Celia is out on the streets looking for Dewey. She hears noise coming from her garage and is met by M3GAN spraying her against the wall with a power washer. M3GAN then fires a nail gun at Celia’s hand and traps her there before spraying pesticide in Celia’s face to melt it off.

After learning about Celia’s death from police and being suggested that there was a connection with Brandon’s death, Gemma grows suspicious of M3GAN. She reviews video files from M3GAN’s memory, but only sees a brief clip of her eyeing Brandon looking menacingly at Cady before the files all become corrupted.

Gemma brings Cady to the official launch for M3GAN but stops at a session with Lydia first. Cady becomes angry and throws a tantrum because Gemma took M3GAN away from her, leading to Cady hitting her aunt across the face. Cady apologizes but Gemma has a heart-to-heart with her about needing to process her grief over her parents without M3GAN’s help, though she promises to be a better guardian to her and says Cady is the only thing that matters to her. Gemma then goes to Tess and Cole and expresses her fears that M3GAN killed Brandon and Celia. They have M3GAN hooked up to wires to deprogram her while Gemma takes Cady home.

David is angry at the small turnout for the launch and yells at Kurt to get him a drink. Meanwhile, Tess and Cole try to get into M3GAN’s programming but cannot unless they unhook her first. Cole goes to do so, and M3GAN quickly wraps a wire around his neck in an attempt to hang him. Tess goes to free him, and M3GAN sets off an explosion that destroys her files. She then finds David in the hallway and does a dance before grabbing a paper cutter and chasing him. He makes it to the elevator before she impales him in front of Kurt. M3GAN then tells Kurt she will frame his death as a murder-suicide over the stolen files and David’s mistreatment of him before she makes Kurt stab himself in the throat. The crowd for the launch finds the bodies, allowing M3GAN to sneak out of the company and steal a car.

Gemma puts Cady to bed before she hears M3GAN playing the piano downstairs. M3GAN confronts Gemma about how she felt that they had a real relationship during M3GAN’s development, only for her to be left to her own devices to learn and adapt before being sold off as just another toy. She offers to let her take over guardianship of Cady so that Gemma can focus on work, but after seeing that Gemma still plans to shut her down, M3GAN is done playing nice. They try to hide their fight from Cady, but Gemma seizes an opportunity to throw water on M3GAN to briefly short her out.

Gemma runs into her office, but M3GAN catches her there and threatens to make Gemma brain-dead so that Cady won’t live with her grandparents and M3GAN will just care for Cady and Gemma together. They begin to fight, with Gemma cutting M3GAN’s face with a weed whacker, but Cady comes in to see what is happening. M3GAN tries to get Cady on her side, but after realizing who the real villain is, Cady grabs the gloves for Bruce and activates him. The larger robot grabs M3GAN and throws her around before splitting her body in two. The top half then goes after Cady for feeling betrayed, but Gemma grabs M3GAN and begins stabbing her face. M3GAN nearly overpowers her until Cady grabs a screwdriver and stabs the central processing chip, shutting M3GAN down for good.

Gemma and Cady go outside as the police arrive with Tess and Cole, injured and shaken up but still alive. Meanwhile, the Elsie device in the kitchen turns on and moves its head...

## Cast and characters

* Allison Williams as Gemma: Gemma is a roboticist who works at the toy company Funki. While she’s tasked with making the company’s latest toy cheaper, Gemma believes M3GAN, an AI doll she created, will be a game-changer.
* Violet McGraw as Cady James: Cady is Gemma’s orphaned niece, whose parents died in a car accident. Cady is paired with M3GAN, and comes to rely on her for everything.
* Amie Donald & Jenna Davis as M3GAN: M3GAN, which stands for model 3 generative android, is an AI doll that has emergent capabilities. By being paired with Cady, M3GAN is able to learn, listen, and grow, far exceeding her parameters to the point of becoming deadly.
* Ronny Chieng as David Lin: David is Gemma’s boss, who is constantly irate.
* Brian Jordan Alvarez as Cole: Cole is Gemma’s coworker and a member of her M3GAN development team.
* Jen Van Epps as Tess: Tess is also Gemma’s coworker and a member of the M3GAN development team.
* Stephane Garneau-Monten as Kurt: Kurt is David’s assistant at the Funki toy company.
* Lori Dungey as Celia: Celia is Gemma’s grouchy neighbor, whose dog is always on the loose.
* Amy Usherwood as Lydia: Lydia is Cady's therapist, who often criticized how Gemma raised her.
* Jack Cassidy as Brandon: Brandon is a bully who pesters Cady at a school event.
* Chelsie Florence as Nicole James: Cady's mother and Gemma's sister, who dies in a car crash.
* Arlo Green as Ryan James: Cady's father who dies in a car crash.

## Production

### Development

On October 7, 2020, it was announced that Allison Williams would be reuniting with Blumhouse for the upcoming tech horror thriller *M3GAN,* in which she’ll star and executive produce. *M3GAN* is also being produced by Atomic Monster for Universal. Akela Cooper wrote the script that is based on a story by James Wan. Gerard Johnstone will direct the film. Jason Blum and Wan are producing the thriller. Michael Clear, of Wan’s Atomic Monster banner, will executive produce with Judson Scott shepherding for the company. Blumhouse’s Ryan Turek will also serve as EP. Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath executive for Divide/Conquer. Mark Katchur and Williams will also serve as executive producers. Blumhouse and Atomic Monster will produce in association with Divide/Conquer.

### Filming

Principal photography began on April 10, 2021 on a budget of $12 million. Filming 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.

### Casting

On October 7, 2020, Allison Williams joined the cast. On April 9, 2021, Violet McGraw joined the cast. On May 25, 2021, Ronny Chieng joined the cast.

### Special effects

Adrien Morot and Kathy Tse of Morot FX Studio provided special makeup effects for M3GAN. In post-production, Donald's physical performance as M3GAN was enhanced by digital visual effects by the New Zealand-based effects studio Wētā FX, allowing for such features as artificially oversized eyes and smooth, doll-like skin. Speaking about the design of M3GAN, Johnstone stated that he "looked to screen icons from the '50s like Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly and Kim Novak for inspiration. But I wanted some '70s naturalism to counteract her synthetic nature, so the hair is one hundred percent Peggy Lipton."

Amie Donald performed M3GAN's scenes that called for physical movement the puppet could not do, and also performed her own stunts. Donald received movement coaching from Jed Brophy and Luke Hawker in portraying M3GAN's agility. On set Donald wore a static silicone M3GAN mask created by Morot FX and this was later replaced by a CGI version of M3GAN's face to match that of the animatronic.

## Release

*M3GAN* had its world premiere in Los Angeles on December 7, 2022, before its theatrical release in the United States on January 6, 2023. It was originally scheduled to be released on January 13, 2023, before being moved up a week in order to avoid competition with *House Party* and the wide expansion of *A Man Called Otto*, which were also scheduled for the January 13 release date.

### Marketing

The teaser poster for the film was unveiled at the 2022 CinemaCon. The first trailer was released on October 11, 2022, set to Taylor Swift's "It's Nice to Have a Friend". After its premiere, a clip of M3GAN dancing gained widespread attention on social media platforms like TikTok. The viral moment helped to build buzz for the film's release. The second and final trailer was released on December 7, 2022, set to Bella Poarch's "Dolls". In the final film, M3GAN dances to "Walk the Night" by Skatt Brothers. On January 8, 2023, Williams revealed that she and the marketing team at Universal had debated whether to include the scene in the trailer or save it for when audiences saw the film in theaters. She told *The Hollywood Reporter*, "When we saw the first cut of the trailer, we were all hemming and hawing about whether or not to let the dance be out in the trailer or try to keep it as a surprise in the movie ... And boy, the forces of marketing at Universal were right to keep it in the trailer, because it just helped, honestly."

### Home media

*M3GAN* premiered on the streaming service Peacock on February 24, 2023. The DVD and Blu-ray was released on March 21, 2023, with all formats receiving an unrated version.

## Reception

### Pre-release

Following the trailer's release, *M3GAN* received significant media attention, particularly for a scene where *M3GAN* starts dancing. This scene became the source of various memes, with *M3GAN* being referred to as the "yassified" form of Annabelle from The Conjuring Universe film series.

### Box office

In the United States and Canada, *M3GAN* is projected to gross $17–20 million from 3,400 theaters in its opening weekend.

### Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 94% based on 77 reviews, with an average rating of 7.10/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Unapologetically silly and all the more entertaining for it, *M3GAN* is the rare horror-comedy that delivers chuckles as effortlessly as chills." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

*Variety*Template:'s Owen Gleiberman called *M3GAN* "a diverting genre film, one that possesses a healthy sense of its own absurdity", and wrote that the film satirizes "all of us — or, at least, those who now think of the mirror offered by artificial intelligence as an actual form of interaction."

## Future

*Main article: M3GAN 2.0*
In November 2022, *The New York Times* reported that Universal was pleased by how the film turned out and is planning on making a sequel.

On January 18, 2023, *M3GAN 2.0* was announced by Universal, with a January 17, 2025. The film, produced in association with Divide/Conquer, is in the works. The sequel’s script is being penned by Akela Cooper, who wrote the script to the original film. Allison Williams and Violet McGraw are onboard to return for the sequel. Williams will also serve as a producer. Jason Blum and James Wan are producers on the hit film’s 2.0, and Michael Clear and Judson Scott, of Wan’s Atomic Monster banner, will executive produce. Blumhouse’s Ryan Turek is an executive producer. Mark Katchur is an executive producer. Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath, from Divide/Conquer, are also EPs.

### Possible crossover

During an interview for *M3GAN*, Jason Blum commented on the possibility of a crossover film between M3GAN, Chucky and Annabelle. "We talked about it all day. Currently James' (Wan) idea is kind of forming a justice league, with the dummies forming a team to defeat a third evil," he said. "They don't fight each other, but they need to cooperate and join their forces against something even bigger. I think that would be great," he concluded. Currently, Universal owning the rights to M3GAN and Chucky and Warner Bros. owns the rights to Annabelle.

## Gallery

* Posters
* Promotional
* Character portraits
* Behind the scenes
* Videos

M3GAN - official trailerM3GAN - official trailer 2M3GAN - "first look"
## References

1. ↑ Violet McGraw Joins Allison Williams In *M3GAN* From Blumhouse & Atomic Monster
2. ↑ Allison Williams, Blumhouse Team for Tech Thriller 'M3GAN'
3. ↑ Allison Williams to Star and Exec Produce Blumhouse Horror Film 'M3GAN' for Universal
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Allison Williams Thriller *M3GAN* Sets January 2023 Release in Theaters
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 ‘M3GAN 2.0’ To Happen In 2025
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Allison Williams Reteams With ‘Get Out’ Producer Blumhouse For ‘M3GAN’
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 ‘Black Widow’ Actress Violet McGraw Joins Allison Williams In Blumhouse & Atomic Monster Thriller ‘M3GAN’
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Blumhouse & Atomic Monster’s ‘M3GAN’ Adds Ronny Chieng
9. ↑ Box Office: 'M3gan'Aims for Impressive $20 Million Debut, but 'Avatar 2' Will Rule Again
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 How 'M3GAN' Boogied Her Way To The Box Office Via TikTok; Sequel Already In Works
11. ↑ M3GAN (Feature Film)
12. ↑ Exclusive: Blumhouse to film MEG3N in New Zealand
13. ↑ New Zealand Returns to Full Lockdown After Discovery of Local COVID Case
14. ↑ 'M3GAN' Required Reshoots for that PG-13 Rating
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Exclusive Clip: See M3GAN Show Allison Williams Who's Boss
16. ↑ 'M3GAN' Review: Allison Williams Tangles With a Rogue Robot in Fun AI Horror That's Equal Parts Campy and Creepy
17. ↑ Kiwi dancer's moves go viral in new horror movie trailer
18. ↑ Building M3GAN: How Animatronics, Puppetry, VFX and a Child Actor Created a New Doll Icon That Slays
19. ↑ Puppets, fake tears, an 11-year-old dance phenom: How 'M3GAN' came to life
20. ↑ 'M3GAN' Premiere Featured Eight Look-Alike Dolls Dancing to Taylor Swift Song in Now-Viral Moment
21. ↑ The story behind M3GAN's iconic TikTok dance sequence
22. ↑ 'M3GAN' Slays With $30M+ Opening; 'Avatar: The Way Of Water' Hits Half Billion Faster Than 'Top Gun 2', 'Rogue One' – Sunday AM Box Office Update
23. ↑ The Skatt Bros' 'Walk The Night' Soundtracks Hit New Horror Movie 'M3GAN'
24. ↑ 'M3GAN' Star Allison Williams Talks Her Blumhouse Good Fortune and the Internal Debate Over M3GAN's Viral Dance
25. ↑ Watch M3GAN (2022) Streaming Online | Peacock
26. ↑ The Unrated Version of 'M3gan' Is Now Streaming on Peacock
27. ↑ 'M3GAN' is getting an unrated version as horror hit sets Blu-Ray, digital release - what you need to know
28. ↑ 'M3GAN' Sets Peacock Premiere Date
29. ↑ In *M3GAN* Movie Trailer, a Murderous Robot Shows Off Killer Dance Moves
30. ↑ Nothing, And I Mean Nothing, Is More Funny Than These Ridiculous Memes About A Killer Doll Named Megan
31. ↑ The *M3GAN* trailer yass-ifies the haunted doll trope
32. ↑ [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/m3gan M3GAN (2022)
33. ↑ M#GAN (2022) Reviews |access-date= January 4, 2023}}
34. ↑ 'M3GAN' Review: A Robot-Doll Sci-Fi Horror Movie That's Creepy, Preposterous and Diverting
35. ↑ Hollywood Horror Blockbuster: Two Leading Producers Will Soon Join Forces