M3gan is a lifelike doll powered by AI, which is given to orphan Cady. Photo: Universal Studios
M3gan is a lifelike doll powered by AI, which is given to orphan Cady. Photo: Universal Studios
M3gan is a lifelike doll powered by AI, which is given to orphan Cady. Photo: Universal Studios
M3gan is a lifelike doll powered by AI, which is given to orphan Cady. Photo: Universal Studios

M3gan release date, cast and plot for horror film about AI child doll


Evelyn Lau
  • English
  • Arabic

What could be scarier than a lifelike child doll that goes rogue? That’s the premise of new horror film M3gan, which is gaining attention as it opens in cinemas around the world.

In a tale of technology gone wrong, the doll named M3gan (short for Model 3 Generative Android) is brought to life with artificial intelligence. The film is directed by Gerard Johnstone, with a story by Akela Cooper and James Wan, the latter known for horror franchises such as Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring.

So, if you’re in the mood to be scared (yet entertained), here’s everything you need to know about the film.

When will M3gan be released?

The film was released in UAE cinemas on Thursday and in the US on Friday. It will reach UK cinemas next Friday. It had its world premiere in Los Angeles on December 7.

Who is in the cast?

M3gan stars Allison Williams as Gemma, a roboticist and the inventor of M3gan, while Violet McGraw plays Gemma’s recently orphaned niece Cady.

Amie Donald plays a physical version of M3gan that is enhanced with digital visual effects, while Jenna Davis provides the character’s voice.

The cast also includes Ronny Chieng, Brian Jordan Alvarez and Jen Van Epps.

What is M3gan about?

Gemma, who works as a roboticist at a toy company, is developing the prototype of a lifelike doll called M3gan, using artificial intelligence. However, one day, Gemma unexpectedly gains custody of her young niece Cady after her parents die in a car accident. But she doesn’t feel ready to suddenly be a parent.

Gemma decides to return to her work on M3gan to create a companion for Cady. She believes the doll can not only be a perfect friend, but a protector, too.

However, things start to go wrong as M3gan begins talking back, refusing commands and using extreme measures to protect Cady as it transforms into a more conscious being.

How are people reacting to M3gan on social media?

The film currently has a 95 per cent "fresh rating" from 98 reviews on movie review-aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes. Fans of M3gan are reacting to the movie’s early success with memes, especially those who have seen it, citing it as an equally great horror film with comedic moments.

One fan offered a salute after watching it on Twitter, sharing a photo of himself in front of the film's poster.

Another used a scene from Marvel's She-Hulk: Attorney at Law to describe their review of the film, calling it "spooky" yet "fun".

Another used a clip of television personality Wendy Williams to tweet about M3gan, calling the robot "an icon, she's a legend and she is the moment".

Finally, another fan said to believe all the hype around M3gan. "This movie is a riot, the most fun I've had in a theatre in a very long time," they tweeted.

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GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Company%20Profile
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Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

While you're here
Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Jawan
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Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

List of alleged parties

 May 15 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at
least 17 staff members

May 20 2020: PM and Carrie attend 'bring your own booze'
party

Nov 27 2020: PM gives speech at leaving do for his staff

Dec 10 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary
Gavin Williamson

Dec 13 2020: PM and Carrie throw a flat party

Dec 14 2020: London mayor candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff party at Conservative
Party headquarters

Dec 15 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz

Dec 18 2020: Downing Street Christmas party

SANCTIONED
  • Kirill Shamalov, Russia's youngest billionaire and previously married to Putin's daughter Katarina
  • Petr Fradkov, head of recently sanctioned Promsvyazbank and son of former head of Russian Foreign Intelligence, the FSB. 
  • Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President of Russia's largest bank VTB. He is the son of Alexander Bortnikov, head of the FSB which was responsible for the poisoning of political activist Alexey Navalny in August 2020 with banned chemical agent novichok.  
  • Yury Slyusar, director of United Aircraft Corporation, a major aircraft manufacturer for the Russian military.
  • Elena Aleksandrovna Georgieva, chair of the board of Novikombank, a state-owned defence conglomerate.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl

Transmission: eight-speed auto

Power: 190bhp

Torque: 300Nm

Price: Dh169,900

On sale: now 

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 390bhp

Torque: 400Nm

Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579

Updated: January 06, 2023, 9:06 AM`