‘SOULM8TE’: ‘M3GAN’ Spin-Off to Release on Jan 2, 2026!!

More deadly robots will be coming to the big screen soon. Atomic Monster and Blumhouse are currently developing SOULM8TE, a spinoff from their smash-hit horror film M3GAN, according to Deadline. The film, described as an erotic thriller set in a futuristic world, will serve as a new chapter in the so-called ‘M3GAN universe,’ and Universal Pictures has already dated it for a theatrical release on Jan. 2, 2026.

Plot details on SOULM8TE remain few and far between. However, the film will follow a man who acquires an Artificially Intelligent android to cope with the loss of his recently deceased wife, according to a logline from Universal. In an attempt to create a truly sentient partner, he inadvertently turns a harmless lovebot into a deadly soulmate. The film is also being described as having a similar feeling to classic 1990s erotic thrillers with a modern twist. No casting for the film has been announced yet.

SOULM8TE will be directed by Kate Dolan from a re-written script by Rafael Jordan, with a story from Jordan, Ingrid Bisu, and Atomic Monster head James Wan. Wan will also produce the film for Atomic Monster alongside Blumhouse‘s Jason Blum. Atomic Monster‘s Michael Clear and Judson Scott will executive produce alongside Ingrid Bisu. “SOULM8TE is a thrilling and seductive addition to the M3GAN universe. We’re excited to partner with Kate to bring this story to life with her unique cinematic vision and point of view,” Wan said in a statement.

‘M3GAN’ Became a Massive Hit

It should come as no surprise that Universal, Atomic Monster and Blumhouse are looking to expand the M3GAN franchise, given the critical success of the first film. The film starred Allison Williams as a roboticist who brings home a prototype android doll named M3GAN (Amie Donald), for her niece Cady to have as a friend. However, things start to go badly when M3GAN develops advanced intelligence and begins going to extreme lengths to protect Cady – including going after the people closest to her. The film became one of the first sleeper hits of 2023 and grossed $181 million at the global box office against a reported budget of just $12 million.

M3GAN performed so well that a sequel, M3GAN 2, was green-lit by Universal just weeks after the first film hit theaters, and is slated for a June 27, 2025. Williams and Cady, played by Violet McGraw, will once again return for the sequel alongside Ivanna Sakhno of the Disney+ Star Wars series Ahsoka. Wan previously said that M3GAN 2 will explore AI in a big way, and it appears that SOULM8TE will follow in this pattern.