Less than a year after it was first announced, Universal has revealed that M3GAN spinoff film SOULM8TE has a new release date. Instead of releasing on January 2, 2026 as was originally planned, the film will now come out a week later, on January 9, 2026, via Bloody Disgusting.
SOULM8TE is being directed by Kate Dolan, known for her creepy Irish psychological horror film You Are Not My Mother. Dolan is also penning the script, based on a story by horror icon James Wan, Ingrid Bisu, and Rafael Jordan. Wan will also produce under his Atomic Monster alongside frequent collaborator Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions.
Described as a sci-fi erotic thriller, SOULM8TE is about a man who purchases an android to use as a coping mechanism after his wife passes away. The plot isn't exactly an original one, as we've seen similar in movies like this year's Companion, Subservience, and even in the series Black Mirror. Android women are a sci-fi staple.
But I'm always happy to see horror films being helmed by women and I'm looking forward to seeing what Dolan brings to the table for this story. Besides, good erotic thrillers are a rarity these days, so it's always nice to see filmmakers trying to revive the subgenre.
First footage for SOULM8TE previews an obsessive robot
Universel previewed some footage from SOULM8TE at this year's CinemaCon (via ScreenRant). The brief clip showed an adult female robot being delivered to an apartment and eventually becoming obsessed with her male owner, going so far as to try and kill his real girlfriend. "His girlfriend tries to negotiate with her, but the robot says, 'Don’t try that girl power sh*t with me,' then tries to drown her."
Again, not exactly revolutionary. The psycho robot trying to kill anyone who harms their owner or human significant other has been done to death by the sci-fi world. But I'm remaining optimistic that Dolan has a few clever twists up her sleeve.
SOULM8TE stars Lilly Sullivan (Evil Dead Rise), David Rysdahl (No Exit), Claudia Doumit (The Boys), and Oliver Cooper (Clawfoot).
M3GAN returns this June
Even though we're still many months away from the M3GAN spinoff film making its theatrical debut, fans of the spunky robotic doll will get to see more of her this June when M3GAN 2.0 is released in cinemas. Arriving in theaters on June 27, M3GAN 2.0 takes place two years after the events of the first movie.
Gemma (Allison Williams) has since become vocal about regulating artificial intelligence since her near-death experience with M3GAN 1.0, but when someone steals the tech she invented to create M3GAN and make a new military robot, Gemma must bring M3GAN back to life to take it down before it leads a robot revolution.