Blumhouse Productions has delivered a number of compelling and beloved worlds over the years, with one of its most memorable mascots of terror being the titular doll in M3GAN. Even before the movie landed in theaters, the first glimpses of the psychotic robot took social media by storm, with the excitement largely paying off in the film itself. Director Gerard Johnstone continued to push boundaries with his sequel, taking M3GAN 2.0 into even more absurd realms, thanks in large part to the introduction of the all-new killer doll AMELIA, played by Ivanna Sakhno. The actor recently weighed in on what it was like to join this world and how previous experiences helped her embody the android. M3GAN 2.0 hits theaters on June 27th.
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“I think it’s a really fun way of continuing M3GAN’s story and I think it has a lot to do with Gerard’s fearlessness, to step into something unknown and understand that it’s a world that has been created and became beloved by people and still being interested in playing around and being unapologetically bananas. That was the reaction,” Sakhno shared with ComicBook. “Just, honestly, pride, as I feel really excited about the film and grateful to be a part of it. And also, in this day and age, with everything going on in the world, I do think that people deserve to come to the cinema and have a few hours to laugh, at the same time, leave with some existential questions that the film offers.”
The new sequel is described, “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; Ahsoka, Pacific Rim: Uprising), 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 bitch is about to meet her match.”
Sakhno is no stranger to starring in genre-bending experiences, having previously starred in Star Wars: Ahsoka. While both worlds are entrenched in the sci-fi realm, they required her to embrace different approaches to physical training.
“There’s definitely, fundamentally, when you do multiple jobs that require lots of physicality, you get to understand your body more and more and understand what it takes to do that. I think that’s something that connects Ahsoka and M3GAN,” the actor admitted of the two projects. “In general, AMELIA is very different in her movement and these stunts are different, because to wield a lightsaber, it has a lot to do with swordfighting and martial arts, and AMELIA is very much combat training and Krav Maga. She’s using guns and also kung-fu-style movement. But it definitely builds a little bit more confidence in your body and a desire to dedicate yourself as much as possible to do as many of your stunts as you can, as time allows, and safety, as well.”
M3GAN 2.0 hits theaters on June 27th.
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