SOULM8TE: What We Know About Blumhouse's Upcoming Sci-Fi Horror Movie

M3GAN at a window in M3GAN
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

Blumhouse is continuing to explore the dark side of technology with the development of SOULM8TE. The upcoming horror movie (which also counts as an upcoming sci-fi movie) boasts a similar plot to M3GAN — the company’s 2022 hit about a kid’s robotic doll that turns deadly — but with a more, shall we say, risqué twist. We’ll provide you with even more data about the upcoming Blumhouse movie in our following guide to SOULM8TE.

What Is The SOULM8TE Release Date?

M3GAN and Cady in M3GAN

(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

SOULM8TE is currently programmed to hit theaters on January 2, 2026. We wish we could tell you that it is coming out a little earlier and had a spot on our upcoming 2025 movie schedule. However, there is already another technophobic Blumhouse flick out in theaters with the new 2024 movie, AfrAId, in which a cutting-edge virtual assistant turns deadly.

What SOULM8TE Is About

David Rysdahl holding cards in Hulu's No Exit

(Image credit: Hulu)

You might have been able to guess by now that SOULM8TE is yet another Blumhouse production about a technological breakthrough that turns deadly. Yet, it is bound to stand out among the rest as it is taking a far more adult approach to the material that sounds like a combination of the Oscar-winning 2013 romance Her with a concept straight out of the best episodes of Black Mirror.

According to the official logline, the erotic thriller follows a man struggling to cope with the recent death of his wife. Hoping to cure his loneliness, he acquires a human-looking android equipped with artificial intelligence. Unfortunately, as he grows closer to this new companion, she proves to be something dangerous.

SOULM8TE Is Set In The M3GAN Universe

Cady, Gemma and M3GAN in M3GAN

(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

We established at the very top that the plot of SOULM8TE is similar to M3GAN. Well, not only is it similar to one of the best horror movies of 2022, it also exists in the same world.

Blumhouse first announced SOULM8TE as a spin-off to M3GAN which will “expand” on the universe established in the surprise hit. This could be the start of a whole anthological franchise of great horror movies made for the digital age.

The SOULM8TE Cast

Artificial intelligence has certainly become more advanced and more popular in recent years, but one thing it cannot replace is genuine acting talent. Luckily, the SOULM8TE cast consists of real human actors whose character roles have yet to be officially disclosed. Let’s take a look at who is set to star in the thriller and what else you might know them from.

David Rysdahl

David Rysdahl on Fargo

(Image credit: FX)

David Rysdahl is already no stranger to horror, having starred in the Hulu horror movie No Exit and the 2023 horror-comedy movie, Booger, as well as the Black Mirror Season 6 episode, “Mazey Day,” alongside his real-life spouse, Zazie Beetz. The actor might be better known from Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer cast as chemist and explosives expert Donald Hornig and as Wayne Lyon in Fargo Season 5 from Noah Hawley, whom he is reuniting with for the upcoming sci-fi TV show, Alien: Earth, which is coming to FX in 2025.

Claudia Doumit

Victoria Neuman on The Boys.

(Image credit: Amazon Prime)

SOULM8TE will mark the feature-length horror debut for Claudia Doumit, who did appear in a spooky musical comedy TV show in 2016 called How to Be a Vampire. The Australian actor’s more famous roles, however, are Jiya from the short-lived time travel drama Timeless and Victoria Neumann, whom anyone who has seen The Boys Season 4 finale knows is not going to be part of The Boys Season 5, sadly.

Lily Sullivan

Lily Sullivan in Evil Dead Rise

(Image credit: New Line Cinema)

Already a qualified Scream Queen following her performances in the fifth installment of the Evil Dead movies, 2023’s Evil Dead Rise, and Monolith from the following year is fellow Australian actor Lily Sullivan. She made her acting debut in dark satire Mental from 2012 and went on to appear opposite Daniel Radcliffe in 2017’s Jungle, star in Amazon Prime’s mystery series Picnic at Hanging Rock, and National Geographic’s Barkskins.

Directed By Kate Dolan

Kate Dolan at Fright Fest Glasgow

(Image credit: Fright Fest)

SOULM8TE will be the second feature-length effort from director Kate Dolan, who broke through with her chilling Irish folklore thriller You Are Not My Mother in 2021. She also wrote the script for this new flick, based off an original draft from Rafael Jordan.

The original story for SOULM8TE, however, comes from the mind of acclaimed horror filmmaker James Wan (known for other great Blumhouse horror movies like Insidious) and his wife and collaborator Ingrid Bisu, who are both also producing the film on behalf of Atomic Monster. Blumhouse founder Jason Blum is also signed on as a producer.

A Direct M3GAN Sequel Is Also On The Way

M3GAN preparing for her next kill in M3GAN

(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

There is even more from the world of M3GAN in addition to SOULM8TE. The killer AI doll will be back in the upcoming sequel, M3GAN 2.0, which is due for a theatrical release on June 27, 2025. Fingers crossed that we will see a subtle tease of the spin-off when it comes out.

How To Watch SOULM8TE’s Predecessor, M3GAN

M3GAN holds Cady's mouth closed in conflict in M3GAN.

(Image credit: Universal)

As you wait for the release of both M3GAN 2.0 and SOULM8TE, you can revisit (or discover) the film that started it all. At the moment, M3GAN is available with a Starz subscription, to rent on Amazon, or to purchase on physical media.

Stream M3GAN on Starz.
Rent or buy M3GAN on Amazon.
Buy M3GAN on Blu-ray on Amazon.

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Jason Wiese
Content Writer

Jason Wiese writes feature stories for CinemaBlend. His occupation results from years dreaming of a filmmaking career, settling on a "professional film fan" career, studying journalism at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO (where he served as Culture Editor for its student-run print and online publications), and a brief stint of reviewing movies for fun. He would later continue that side-hustle of film criticism on TikTok (@wiesewisdom), where he posts videos on a semi-weekly basis. Look for his name in almost any article about Batman.