Latest news with #AmieDonald
Gizmodo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
See How ‘M3GAN 2.0' Built Itself a Bigger, Better M3GAN
For better or worse, M3GAN's sophomore outing in M3GAN 2.0 brought with it much more action-packed mania than the killer-doll horrors of the original. That, and of course the awkward inconvenience of M3GAN's body being destroyed in the climax of the first film, meant her return for round two needed a mechanical do-over… including a few upgrades for good measure. Now that M3GAN 2.0 is heading home digitally today, you can see just how the team behind the movie made those upgrades to make the all-new M3GAN animatronic for the movie. Although, of course, the character herself is still physically portrayed for the most part by Amie Donald (and voiced by Jenna Davis), in order to still keep some of that robotic authenticity, an advanced animatronic to capture close details is still necessary. As you can see in the video above, the team at Morot FX went to great lengths to give the new M3GAN an array of extra features, including more programmable and detailed moving elements across her facial expressions, hands, and body. And that head camera built into the top of her head to track you via a built-in camera? Perfectly creepy. The digital release of M3GAN 2.0 includes an unrated cut of the film and 30 minutes of bonus features like the one above, including a scene breakdown, a look at the movie's stuntwork, and more looks behind the scenes on M3GAN's sophomore outing. The unrated version of M3GAN 2.0 is now available digitally from Universal. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
NZ Herald
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
NZ-made killer doll sequel another scary merry dance
M3GAN 2.0: Can she save the world? Photo / Supplied M3GAN 2.0, directed by Gerard Johnstone, is in cinemas now. Kiwi director Gerard Johnstone's 2022 worldwide horror hit, M3GAN, might have capitalised on fear of Artificial Intelligence, but it was a dance routine by Auckland youngster Amie Donald playing the titular Robo-Barbie villain that became its viral, defining moment. By
Forbes
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
What Happens During ‘M3GAN 2.0' End Credits And How Possible Is A Sequel?
"Megan 2.0" partial poster. M3GAN 2.0 — the sequel to the 2022 horror hit M3GAN — has footage in the end credits. What happens during the end credits and does it mean anything for another sequel? M3GAN 2.0 opens in theaters nationwide on Friday. The official summary for the film reads, 'Two years after M3GAN, a marvel of artificial intelligence, went rogue and embarked on a murderous (and impeccably choreographed) rampage and was subsequently destroyed, M3GAN's creator Gemma (Allison Williams) has become a high-profile author and advocate for government oversight of AI. "Meanwhile, Gemma's niece Cady (Violet McGraw), now 14, has become a teenager, rebelling against Gemma's overprotective rules. Unbeknownst to them, the underlying tech for M3GAN has been stolen and misused by a powerful defense contractor to create a military-grade weapon known as Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno), the ultimate killer infiltration spy. "But as Amelia's self-awareness increases, she becomes decidedly less interested in taking orders from humans. Or in keeping them around. With the future of human existence on the line, Gemma realizes that the only option is to resurrect M3GAN (Amie Donald, voiced by Jenna Davis) and give her a few upgrades, making her faster, stronger and more lethal. As their paths collide, the original AI icon is about to meet her match.' Directed by Gerard Johnstone, M3GAN 2.0 also stars Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Aristotle Athari, Timm Sharp and Jemaine Clement. Note: Spoilers about the ending and end credits are revealed in the next section. What Footage Is Featured During The End Credits Of M3GAN 2.0? End-credits or post-credits scenes generally wrap up loose ends from a scene from earlier in a film — like Brad Pitt's F1: The Movie does — or they can set up a potential sequel. In the case of M3GAN 2.0, there is no post-credits scene and the end credits only show highlights from 2022's M3GAN and the new film, along with a silhouette of M3GAN the AI robot dancing. As for the future of M3GAN the AI android, the sequel makes it clear that the program can function as a disembodied robot no matter how mangled its mechanic makeup gets. As such, there's really no reason to stay in your seats to watch the end credits because there's really no substance to them. Even though there are no scenes in 2.0 that set up another M3GAN (M3GAN 3.0, perhaps?), another movie in the series is in all likelihood something that Universal Pictures executives are considering. M3GAN was a big moneymaker for the studio in 2022 — it made $182 million worldwide against a $12 million budget before prints and advertising, according to The Hollywood Reporter, so they'll no doubt be tempted for a third film depending on how well M3GAN 2.0 does. M3GAN 2.0 is projected by Universal (via THR) to earn $20 million domestically in its opening weekend frame against a $15 million production budget before P&A, which is cheap by Hollywood standards for a major release (Deadline, however, reported that the budget was $25 million, which is still a low number). So, as long as Universal makes enough money to justify another M3GAN film, director Gerard Johnstone is game to make more. The director told THR recently that as AI technology continues to evolve, it will help foster future screen stories. 'I would not be surprised if there's another five of these movies, Johnstone told THR. 'So, who knows, maybe I'll come back for the fifth one.' Lucky for Johnstone, franchise star Allison Williams wants to see more M3GAN movies, too. "We have big aspirations of big dreams, and I certainly don't feel like I'm done making these movies with these people and this tonal landscape and the subject matter,' Williams told THR recently. 'So, yeah, I have been dreaming of a third, for sure.' M3GAN 2.0 opens in theaters nationwide on Friday.
New York Times
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Amie Donald Has the Moves as the Killer Robot in ‘M3gan 2.0'
Onscreen, Amie Donald is best known for her role as the killer robot M3gan in the sci-fi horror franchise. But, in real life, Donald, 15, spends a majority of her days in the idyllic, sun-soaked setting of lushly forested New Zealand, where kiwi roam and she's apt to take a bush walk outside her parents' home in Papakura, a suburb in South Auckland. 'I really enjoy all the nature here,' she said on a video call from the house on a recent morning. Her long red hair fell in beachy waves as sunlight danced on her white sweater. Framed photos of her and her parents and older brother filled the walls behind her. Donald is about the furthest you could get from the cutthroat killer robot returning in the new sequel, 'M3gan 2.0.' For one thing, she smiles far too much. Other people, she said, would describe her as 'very caring.' She wasn't a fan of horror films until landing 'M3gan' — though she's since started watching them with her father, and now counts 'It' and 'The Purge' among her favorites. 'I love them so much,' she said. M3gan, the robot that becomes frighteningly protective of a young girl named Cady, was Donald's first role in a film, following her TV debut as Maya Monkey, an acrobatic girl with simian features, in Netflix's postapocalyptic series 'Sweet Tooth.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Wall Street Journal
26-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Wall Street Journal
‘M3gan 2.0' Review: Another Bot Walks, Talks, and Wants World Domination
Sure, 'M3gan,' the robot who looks like a homicidal Olsen sister, murdered some people in the 2023 comedy-horror film, but she had her reasons. 'I was upset!' she, or rather her disembodied operating system, cries in the sequel. She explains that she was just a kid back then, and is completely trustworthy now. Please, could someone load her software into another robo-body? Please? Pleeease? In 'M3gan 2.0,' her wary inventor, Gemma (Allison Williams), doesn't quite believe her but also doesn't have much choice. A successor bot, Amelia (Ivanna Sakhno), which unlike the previous figure looks exactly like a human, is not only a military-grade fighter but has also managed to use her seductive wiles to hack into the systems overseen by a billionaire tech lord (Jemaine Clement). Using cloud computing, Amelia can essentially control everything on the grid, from traffic lights to ATMs. In a 'Terminator 2' twist, then, the impish M3gan (acted by Amie Donald, with a voice by Jenna Davis) switches sides and joins the ranks of the good guys in an effort to stop a more technologically advanced rival. At least, that's what the movie's heroes hope: M3gan can be a bit fickle.
