Universal Pictures has officially stepped away from Soulm8te, the upcoming project from the creative minds behind the viral hit M3GAN, according to reports from Variety.
Positioned as an erotic horror-thriller, the film was first announced in the summer of 2024 and tentatively scheduled for a January 2026 theatrical release. The plot follows a grieving widower who acquires an advanced android to replicate his deceased spouse. Predictably, the domestic companion’s helpful programming eventually gives way to a lethal, murderous obsession.
Director Kate Dolan (You Are Not My Mother) was tapped to lead the project, working from a script penned by Rafael Jordan (Salvage Marine). Horror maestro James Wan was attached as a producer via his Atomic Monster banner. The production is currently scouting for a new distribution partner to take over the project.
The killer-doll franchise originally took the world by storm with the debut of M3GAN in early 2023. However, the 2025 sequel failed to replicate that lightning-in-a-bottle success, struggling at the box office and facing a lukewarm reception from critics.
