If there’s one thing that Chucky has taught us, it’s that it’s very hard to get rid of a doll. And M3GAN is no different.
The hit film M3GAN, which has quickly become a queer cultural touchpoint in 2023, will officially be getting a sequel, according to a report published Wednesday in the Hollywood Reporter. The film, titled M3GAN 2.0, will be written by Akela Cooper, the screenwriter behind the original film.
While it is typical for horror sequels to be popped out pretty quickly, M3GAN seems to be taking its time to really make sure the titular toy is up to snuff — ironically, something that didn’t happen in the movie itself! The film is due out January 17, 2025. Both Allison Williams and Violet McGraw, who teamed up to take M3GAN down, will return for the sequel.
The announcement did not indicate whether the movie’s director, Gerard Johnstone, or other stars like Brian Jordan Alvarez, who played one of Williams’ co-workers, will return. According to the Reporter, however, producers do hope Johnstone, who reportedly suggested the idea of the iconic M3GAN dance, will return to helm the sequel.
M3GAN has been a box office success story. Produced for about $12 million and released in the theatrical doldrums of January, it grossed $30 million domestically in its first weekend and didn’t suffer a steep decline in its second, a rarity for the horror genre. Worldwide, it has earned over $90 million as of this writing.
Though M3GAN has become a gay icon, she was not conceived as one. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Cooper said it was horror director Sam Wineman who first alerted her that the four-foot-tall doll was going to be the queen du jour of the gays.
“There’s no real romance in the movie, but I’m like, ‘There’s no overtly gay character. What are you talking about?’” Cooper told Vanity Fair of the exchange with Wineman. “He’s like, ‘Oh no. It’s not about that. It’s about M3GAN. She is going to become a gay icon.’”
She continued, “Then the trailer came out, and the memes started, and yes, the gay community just latched onto it. I was texting Sam. I was like, ‘Holy shit. You were right. This is amazing.’”
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