‘M3GAN’: James Wan Says The Mission Was To Create A “Grounded” & “Real” Story About A Dancing Murder Doll

January is, typically, a rough time for studios and new film releases. Sure, there are the leftovers from Christmas, each trying to eke out as much money as possible in the cold months of winter. But the new films that are released in January are traditionally low-budget horror or mid-tier action flicks. And 2023 is no different, with the upcoming horror film, “M3GAN” leading the way. And boy, oh boy, does “M3GAN” look like a, uh, unique experience, with its story of a highly-advanced dancing murder doll. But according to producer James Wan, “M3GAN” could also be a glimpse into our future. 

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Speaking to Screen Rant, James Wan, a producer on “M3GAN,” talked about the “mission statement” going into the creation of the new film. You see, Wan and the other filmmakers made sure that “M3GAN” wasn’t some hokey, supernatural, doll-possession film. No, sir. This is a story about an AI-powered android that will dance and murder its way through whoever stands in its way. And frankly, according to the filmmaker, this is much more realistic than “Child’s Play” or “Annabelle.”

“We knew going in that we wanted to make a killer doll movie that was different to all the other killer doll movies,” explained Wan. “Firstly, M3GAN isn’t possessed by some supernatural entity nor by some supernatural serial killer. We wanted to lean into something that was more of the real world; something that was more relevant to what’s going on today with all this AI technology that is percolating and that is now coming up to the surface every day in our world.”

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He continued, “We felt that it was important to make a movie that was grounded and felt real; like it could happen anytime soon in the world that we’re living in. And I think that was the key to making something that can be scary because it feels very relevant to the world that we’re living in today. That, I believe, was the mission statement when we dive into it.”

The idea that “M3GAN” could be some sort of peek into our future, with AI becoming more commonplace and folks like Elon Musk hellbent on creating functional, humanoid robots, is terrifying. Not in the way that Wan might have anticipated though. Sure, no one wants to get killed by a robot. But one that does a TikTok dance before tearing you limb from limb? Fucking Hell, no thanks! 

If you want to see the pseudo-documentary, “M3GAN,” which offers a grim look at the future of humanity, you can do so in theaters on January 6, 2023.