By MICHAEL GINGOLD
This is some killer AI we’re looking forward to seeing, as the sequel goes even further over the top.
Universal, Jason Blum’s Blumhouse and James Wan’s Atomic Monster will bring M3GAN 2.0 to theaters June 27. Gerard Johnstone returns as director and scripted this time as well; also back are lead castmembers Allison Williams as Gemma, Violet McGraw as her niece Cady, Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps as Gemma’s tech teammates Cole and Tess, M3GAN performer Amie Donald and Jenna Davis, who provides M3GAN’s voice. New to the ensemble are Ivanna Sakhno, Aristotle Athari, Timm Sharp and Jemaine Clement.
The synopsis: “Two years after M3GAN, a marvel of artificial intelligence, went rogue and embarked on a murderous (and impeccably choreographed) rampage and was subsequently destroyed, M3GAN’s creator Gemma [Williams] has become a high-profile author and advocate for government oversight of AI. Meanwhile, Gemma’s niece Cady [McGraw], now 14, has become a teenager, rebelling against Gemma’s overprotective rules. Unbeknownst to them, the underlying tech for M3GAN has been stolen and misused by a powerful defense contractor to create a military-grade weapon known as Amelia [Sakhno], the ultimate killer infiltration spy. But as Amelia’s self-awareness increases, she becomes decidedly less interested in taking orders from humans. Or in keeping them around. With the future of human existence on the line, Gemma realizes that the only option is to resurrect M3GAN and give her a few upgrades, making her faster, stronger, and more lethal. As their paths collide, the original AI bitch is about to meet her match.”
