According to M3GAN producers Jason Blum and James Wan, the fast-approaching sci-fi horror film's titular killer doll could easily beat The Conjuring Universe's Annabelle in a fight -- for fairly obvious reasons.
In an exclusive interview with CBR, Blum and Wan were asked who would win in a no-holds-barred cage match between M3GAN and the eponymous haunted doll featured in the Annabelle films, which Wan also produces. "This is what I'll say -- the distinguishing difference is M3GAN is a physical doll that gets up and walks around. She's an AI machine. She can do that. Annabelle is just a doll. She's a possessed doll. She doesn't actually hit anyone. It's the demon that is latched onto her," Wan said. "Yeah, no contest. It's M3GAN," Blum agreed.
Universal's M3GAN Arrives in Theaters This Week
A co-production between Blum's Blumhouse Productions and Wan's Atomic Monster Productions, as well as Divide/Conquer, M3GAN is set to premiere in theaters this Friday, Jan. 6 from distributor Universal Pictures. The film is directed by Gerard Johnstone from a screenplay by Akela Cooper and a story by Cooper and Wan. It stars Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Jen Van Epps, Lori Dungey and Stephane Garneau-Monten.
"M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a life-like doll programmed to be a child's greatest companion and a parent's greatest ally. Designed by brilliant toy-company roboticist Gemma (Williams), M3GAN can listen and watch and learn as she becomes friend and teacher, playmate and protector, for the child she is bonded to," an official synopsis for M3GAN reads. "When Gemma suddenly becomes the caretaker of her orphaned 8-year-old niece, Cady (McGraw), Gemma's unsure and unprepared to be a parent. Under intense pressure at work, Gemma decides to pair her M3GAN prototype with Cady in an attempt to resolve both problems -- a decision that will have unimaginable consequences."
What's Next for New Line's Conjuring Universe?
Meanwhile, The Conjuring Universe's Annabelle currently has three solo films under her belt, all of which were produced by Wan and Peter Safran. Co-produced by New Line Cinema and distributed by its parent Warner Bros. Pictures, the Annabelle movies are based on the real-life, supposedly haunted doll of the same name. Spinning out of the events of 2013's The Conjuring, which Wan directed, the first Annabelle premiered in theaters in 2014. It was followed by a prequel, Annabelle: Creation, as well as a sequel, Annabelle Comes Home, which hit theaters in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
The Conjuring Universe is expected to continue with a fourth main-series film produced by Wan and Safran, which is currently in development and lacks an official release date. A sequel to the 2018 spinoff film The Nun is currently in post-production, and is slated to hit theaters later this year on Sept. 8.
M3GAN opens in theaters on Jan. 6.