James Wan And Jason Blum Reunite For Killer Doll Movie ‘M3GAN’
James Wanis no stranger to movies about creepy dolls. He’s been involved with plenty of movies about them, from the tricycle-riding one inSaw(“do you want to play a game?") toDead Silenceto the one fromAnnabelleandAnnabelle: Creation. But Wan can’t get enough, because he’s reuniting withJason Blumfor yet another movie about an eerie killer doll. The duo will produceM3GAN, a “horror thriller” that has an up-and-coming director attached to it.The Hollywood Reportersays that Wan and Blum, who have previously partnered on theInsidiousfranchise, are reuniting to produceM3GAN, which hails from writerAkela Cooper, best known for her work as a writer-producer ofLuke Cage,American Horror Story,The 100, andGrimm.Gerard Johnstone, who wrote, edited, and directed the 2014 New Zealand horror comedyHousebound, is attached to directM3GAN. Here’s the trailer forHousebound, which counts /Film’s managing editor Jacob Hall among its many fans:
M3GANtells the story of “a brilliant toy company roboticist who uses artificial intelligence to develop M3GAN, a life-like doll programmed to emotionally bond with her newly orphaned niece. But when the doll’s programming works too well, she becomes overprotective of her new friend…with terrifying results.”
That’s the boilerplate synopsis, but Wan explained what the story isreallyabout: “Pretty much the concept is about embracing technology too much and relying too much on it. And what happens with technology runs amok. It’s a commentary on the world we live in and it feels relevant.”
The notion of technology running amok is obviously nothing new, but I’d like to think that the combination of talent involved here will result in something that connects with audiences on a deeper level. Cooper is a solid writer, and even the trailer forHouseboundshows that Johnstone clearly has a handle on how to mix horror and comedy – a task that’s practically a requirement for any project featuring a killer doll. Hopefully Wan and Blum can light the path and lend their considerable experience to Johnstone and the team, because the idea of a doll who’s out to bond with a human instead of outright destroy them may provide an interesting opportunity for technological commentary beyond the typical Skynet-style observations that have flooded multiplexes in the decades since James Cameron’sThe Terminatorbecame a massive hit.
