Yesterday, Universal Pictures released a trailer for their upcoming sci-fi horror film M3GAN, in which the title character is a maniacal, lifelike doll with AI programming. One of the many viewers of that trailer was M3GAN’s fellow killer doll Chucky – who took a moment to throw some shade at her on Twitter. Sharing the M3GAN trailer, Chucky tweeted, “everybody’s tryna be me.”
It should be noted that Universal also happens to be Chucky’s home studio, so this tweet shouldn’t be seen as Chucky’s creator Don Mancini or anyone else involved with the Child’s Play / Chucky franchise actually taking a shot at M3GAN. It’s just a fun bit of M3GAN promotion.
Based on a story crafted by producer James Wan, M3GAN was directed by Gerard Johnstone (Housebound) from a screenplay by Akela Cooper (Malignant). The film has the following synopsis:
She’s more than just a toy. She’s part of the family.
From the most prolific minds in horror — James Wan, the filmmaker behind the Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring franchises, and Blumhouse, the producer of the Halloween films, The Black Phone and The Invisible Man — comes a fresh new face in terror.
M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child’s greatest companion and a parent’s greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma, M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes friend and teacher, playmate and protector, for the child she is bonded to. When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady, Gemma’s unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems — a decision that will have unimaginable consequences.
Allison Williams (Get Out), Violet McGraw (The Haunting of Hill House), Ronny Chieng (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings), Brian Jordan Alvarez (Will & Grace), Jen Van Epps (Cowboy Bebop), Lori Dungey (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring), and Stephane Garneau-Monten (Straight Forward) star.
A collaboration between Universal Pictures, Blumhouse, and Atomic Monster, in association with Divide/Conquer, M3GAN was produced by James Wan and Jason Blum. Williams serves as executive producer alongside Mark Katchur, Ryan Turek, Michael Clear, Judson Scott, Adam Hendricks, and Greg Gilreath.
M3GAN is set to receive a theatrical release on January 13, 2023. While we wait for the movie to come along, the second season of the Chucky TV series is currently airing on Syfy and USA Network.