"M3gan 2.0" gets an upgrade and becomes even more defiant

If we had to put it in a song, it would be: The Bitch is Back. After all, it’s also the tagline of the new M3gan 2.0 ad campaign, the sequel to the killer robot doll released in 2022, which was destined from the start to become a full-fledged franchise. A second film born in the wake of the first one’s success, which turned a 12-million-dollar budget into 180 million in returns, encouraging Jason Blum and James Wan to once again invest in the synthetic nanny made of Poly-fil and directed by Gerard Johnstone. The franchise is set to expand in early 2026 with a spin-off from the same universe, SOULM8TE, and it wouldn’t be surprising if a third chapter were announced, given the enthusiasm of the team and especially of lead actress Allison Williams, who admitted in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that she’s already dreaming of a third film. A wish that might not be so far-fetched for the actress who rose to fame in the generational cult series Girls, considering Hollywood’s tendency to strike while the iron is hot when it comes to tried-and-true universes and established characters - especially in the horror genre, which is often fertile ground for expansion.

The strength of M3gan 2.0, once again written by Johnstone along with screenwriter Akela Cooper, also known for Hell Fest and Malignant, is its ability to expand the potential of the violent, uncontrollable android that gives the film its title, and to turn those qualities to its advantage. It’s an operation not unlike one of the most famous reversals in film history, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, directed by James Cameron, which flipped the villainous protagonist into a hero. Megan does this, of course, for her own gain: the protection and safety of the now pre-teen Cady, played by Violet McGraw, who the android was initially programmed to look after before going rogue and committing a massacre. Megan’s core mission returns in the sequel, but now the robot is on the right side of the story, trying to stop an artificial intelligence that has taken over and threatens to destroy the planet, while legislative and political bodies try to regulate the development and use of technology.

A relevant universe that Johnstone taps into, combining Megan’s redemption and the alliance between her and her former “employers” in the fight against the true enemy, which threatens people both on and off screen. AI, with its ability to acquire infinite knowledge, risks becoming an untamable and pervasive deity from which there’s no escape. The internet, security systems, transportation, communication networks: if Amelia,the artificial intelligence played by Ukrainian actress Ivanna Sakhno, were to reach an old motherboard that had remained dormant for years, it would mean the end of the world as we know it. And if that happened, the very existence of Cady would be in danger, a risk that Megan is unwilling to take. By leaving behind its horror roots and embracing a more action-driven nature, with heightened humor and a robot that’s irresistibly sassy with quips and sarcasm, M3gan 2.0 doesn’t stand still in its original image. It evolves -just as technology and cinema do - grasping the cultural cues to show what scares people today, whether that’s AI or the fear of parenting, and reframes it as entertainment in a familiar format that this upgrade only improves. A human story about mistakes and the growth of the young, which in M3gan 2.0 applies as much to young Cady as it does to the android herself. Learning that there’s always room to grow and be educated, whether you’re a flesh-and-blood human, a film franchise or, why not, even a robot. And who knows, maybe a third movie will feature an AI in the spotlight.