M3GAN was one of the biggest box office surprises of 2023. The satirical horror movie launched a successful Internet marketing campaign, which featured plenty of memorable moments from the film. This approach essentially made it a must-see moviegoing experience. After the film’s immense success, a sequel titled M3GAN 2.0 was announced to be in development at Blumhouse. Now, a star of the first film, Violet McGraw, has confirmed that she'll be returning for the sequel, and she's as excited about it as horror fans are.
Violet McGraw, who played Cady in the film, was interviewed at the Astra Film Awards, during which she was asked about the highly anticipated sequel. It was there that she confirmed her return and expressed her excitement about reuniting with the cast and crew once production starts. The young actress didn’t comment on any specific details regarding the film, but she did say in a video posted on X:
Yeah, I am [returning]! I'm very excited to film that.... I am literally dying to know what happens. I'm just really looking forward to all of the cast and crew. Another great experience!
It makes sense that the young actress would be back in the fold, especially considering how pivotal her role was in the original movie. Cady, after all, was the child who bonded with the eponymous doll, and it'd be somewhat odd if they didn't cross paths again at some point.
Plot details for the sequel are being kept under wraps, but the team behind M3GAN 2.0 have hinted at what could be explored. Gerald Johnstone -- who directed the 2023 flick -- recently revealed that he hopes the sequel will continue to "evolve" the conversation surrounding AI and the dangers it could possess. This was one of the most fascinating elements of the first film, and fans agree that they hope the sequel explores more AI-related content when the next movie comes to fruition. Artificial intelligence was also a hot topic last year, as it was at the center of a number of big films and was a major point of contention during the Hollywood strikes.
It seems certain that the pitfalls of technology will still be a major theme for the sequel, and producer James Wan teased that the film will be bigger and better than its predecessor. With breakout star Violet McGraw returning, it's likely that the story will center around her character again. McGraw was incredible in the first film, so it'll be great to see her again. Hopefully, this means Allison Williams -- who played the aunt to McGraw's Cady -- will also be back. The relationship between their characters helped to keep the movie grounded, and it'd be great to see that expanded upon.
In the video shared on X, Madeline McGraw, Violet's sister, also let it slip that her sibling would be leaving to film the sequel very soon. This suggests that the new installment may not be too far off, despite a release date still being unannounced. Horror movies are, in many cases, released towards the end of the year, so maybe M3GAN 2.0 might sneak onto the 2024 movie schedule. It’s wishful thinking, but it's possible. Yet, right now, it's just cool to hear that the film's young co-lead is coming back.
You can see Violet McGraw’s breakout performance in M3GAN, by streaming the unrated version of the movie with an Amazon Prime subscription. Also, keep up to date on the genre as a whole by looking over the upcoming horror movie release schedule.
