M3GAN sequel gets the green light: Filming starts with a bigger budget

One of the biggest movie surprises of 2022 was the thriller "M3GAN." Critics were delighted with it, and audiences flocked to the theaters. The low-budget production became a blockbuster, so news of a sequel was bound to surface sooner or later.

"M3GAN" caught viewers' attention right from the trailer's release. There were many positive comments below the video. From the trailer, we learned that the film's protagonist, Gemma, dedicates her life to a company creating toys with a touch of artificial intelligence. When the overworked young woman has to care for her orphaned niece, she constructs a particular doll-robot model to care for the eight-year-old physically and emotionally. The rest of the story had to be watched in theaters.

The film focuses on the relationship between the girl and her new "friend," who begins to gain awareness of her existence. And with that awareness comes a strong need for survival and achieving her goals.

On Rotten Tomatoes, "M3GAN" received as much as 93% positive reviews from critics. Out of over 300 reviewers, only a few considered the thriller not worth watching. One critic wrote: "It’s evident that director Gerard Johnstone was heavily influenced by James Cameron’s "The Terminator" and Tom Holland’s "Child’s Play" as he borrows elements from both movies and utilizes them to good effect."

The thriller was a huge commercial success. The low-budget production, which cost only $12 million, grossed $180 million in theaters, bringing huge profits to the producers.

Two years after the premiere of "M3GAN," Blumhouse studio announced the start of filming for "M3GAN 2.0" in a short clip. In the sequel, we will once again see the three main characters: Gemma (Allison Williams), Cady (Violet McGraw), and the titular M3GAN (the creation of this character involved two actresses – Amie Donald and Jenna Davis).

"M3GAN 2.0" will have a much larger budget than the original, which is not necessarily good news since, as we know, bigger budgets rarely correlate with better movie quality. How will it be in this case? We will be able to find out in June of next year.