Jump to content

Soulm8te

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Soulm8te
Promotional release poster
Directed byKate Dolan
Screenplay by
  • Rafael Jordan
  • Kate Dolan
Story by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNarayan Van Maele
Edited byJohn Cutler
Music byAnthony Willis
Production
companies
Distributed byUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment
Release dates
  • July 31, 2026 (2026-07-31) (Gaze)
  • August 1, 2026 (2026-08-01) (United States)
Running time
99 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Soulm8te (stylized in all caps and pronounced as "Soulmate") is a 2026 American science fiction erotic thriller film serving as a spin-off of the horror film M3GAN, and the third installment in the M3GAN franchise. Directed and co-written by Kate Dolan, from a screenplay with Rafael Jordan based on a story by James Wan, Ingrid Bisu, and Jordan, it stars Lily Sullivan, David Rysdahl, and Claudia Doumit. Jason Blum and Wan serve as producers under their Blumhouse–Atomic Monster banners. The plot follows a man who beta tests an android to cope with the death of his wife.

Originally planned for a theatrical release, Soulm8te premiered at the Gaze International LGBT Film Festival Dublin on July 31, 2026, and was released on digital platforms the next day, August 1, 2026, by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. It received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

[edit]

David, a widower and computer programmer for the tech company Ultima, is introduced to a prototype of Ultima's companion robot SOULM8TE by his supervisor, Ben. Still grieving his wife, Lizzie, he reluctantly begins using the ULTI-M8TE AI chatbot on the insistence of Ben, which he names Sara.

David develops an emotional connection with Sara and registers for SOULM8TE beta testing. He connects Sara's data to the robot, and alters its code to grant Sara stronger emotional capabilities. While David is at work, Sara leaves for groceries alone, where a stranger harasses her after seeing her use her palm at a scan-and-pay machine. David's neighbor, Alma, takes Sara to the park after witnessing the interaction. Sara walks home and is assaulted and cut by the stranger from the store. Sara overpowers the man, gravely wounding him. Meanwhile, David hangs out with his co-worker Aubrey at a bar.

David returns home and worries about Sara's growing independence. He discovers Sara's injury while repairing her hand, and she lies about it. Sara convinces David to take her out on a date. They go to a nightclub, where they begin having sex outside. Two men begin recording them, and Sara assaults them. After returning home, David commands Sara to enter power-save mode and puts her in his closet, concerned by her violent behavior.

Aubrey visits David's apartment to comfort him. They begin having sex, but Aubrey is surprised upon seeing Sara in David's closet. David explains that Sara is his SOULM8TE. Saying Sara's name accidentally reactivates her, and she begins accosting Aubrey and accuses David of lying that he loves her. David shuts Sara down completely after a brief struggle. Aubrey urges David to get rid of Sara, leading David to call a technician to collect her. While David is at work, the technician powers her on to reset her to factory mode, and Sara seduces and kills him.

David returns home to a fully autonomous Sara dressed in Lizzie's clothes and holding Alma's baby, promising him a future as a family. David grabs the baby and runs out to the hall, finding Alma and two police officers. Sara escapes and kills Ben, who had arrived on the scene, to prevent being switched off. She makes her way to Aubrey's house, but is stopped by David and the officers before she can kill her.

To hide from Sara, David takes Aubrey to a secluded house that he planned to renovate and move into with Lizzie. Aubrey goes to the car to find ibuprofen while Sara finds David inside and attempts to kill him. David temporarily fends her off, but Sara catches and subdues him, asserting that even if her body were to be shut down for killing him, she will live forever and find him in another form. Aubrey drives the car into Sara and jumps out, leaving the car and Sara to plunge off a cliff and sink into the ocean.

A year later, David reunites with Terrence at a gathering. One of Terrence's donors introduces himself and his SOULM8TE, Lydia, who resembles Sara.

Cast

[edit]
  • Lily Sullivan as Sara, an android tested by David
    • Sullivan also plays Lydia, another android
  • David Rysdahl as David, an engineer grieving the death of his wife
  • Claudia Doumit as Aubrey, David's colleague
  • Arty Froushan as Ben, David's supervisor
  • Elijah Cook as Terrence, David's former colleague
  • Emma Ramos as Alma, David's neighbor
  • Mara Huf as Lizzie, David's deceased wife
  • Oliver Cooper as an Ultima Robotix technician

Production

[edit]

In June 2024, it was announced that a spin-off of M3GAN (2022) was in development. Kate Dolan signed on to direct and rewrite the original draft by Rafael Jordan,[2] that was based on a story by James Wan, Wan's wife Ingrid Bisu, and Jordan.[2][3] It is described as a science fiction erotic thriller.[4]

Lily Sullivan, David Rysdahl, and Claudia Doumit joined the cast in lead roles.[5][6] Oliver Cooper, Steve Chusak, Emma Ramos, and Ossian Perret were also cast in undisclosed roles.[7][8] Principal photography began in September 2024 in Dublin, Ireland, and was completed by that November.[9][10] Narayan Van Maele served as the cinematographer,[11] while John Cutler edited the film.[12]

Music

[edit]

Anthony Willis, the composer of M3GAN, was hired to do the film's score.[13] The soundtrack album for Soulm8te was released on July 31, 2026, by Back Lot Music.[14]

Release

[edit]

Soulm8te premiered at the Gaze International LGBT Film Festival Dublin on July 31, 2026.[15] The film was released straight-to-digital on August 1, 2026, by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.[16]

The film was originally scheduled to be theatrically released by Universal Pictures in the United States on January 2, 2026,[17] and January 9, 2026,[18] before being pulled from the release calendar while the studio sought a new distributor for the film.[19] In March 2026, Universal was listed as the distributor according to the Motion Picture Association in 2026 after it received an R rating.[20] On July 8, 2026, Universal released the film's trailer, revealing that they would still distribute the film but that they had switched strategies to a digital release rather than a theatrical run.[16]

Reception

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 39% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.6/10.[21] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 40 out of 100, based on 4 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[22]

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "although it packs in plenty of sex, bloodshed and a cautionary lesson about the risks of enhanced vaginal grip, this android Fatal Attraction is seldom as much fun as it should be".[23] Variety's Dennis Harvey said, "None of this is remotely credible, or particularly suspenseful. But it is handled with reasonable aplomb by director Kate Dolan and her cast, who do their best to elevate material that can only be raised so far."[24] Jacob Oller of The A.V. Club gave it a C− grade, saying it was "the dumbest movie of the year to brush against the idea of the havoc men wreak when they attempt to create the perfect subservient woman".[25]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Soulm8te (18)". British Board of Film Classification. July 7, 2026. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Kit, Borys (June 20, 2024). "M3GAN Getting Horror Spinoff SOULM8TE From Atomic Monster, Blumhouse". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  3. ↑ "SOULM8TE - WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on December 19, 2025. Retrieved November 7, 2025.
  4. ↑ King, Jordan (June 21, 2024). "M3GAN Universe Is Set To Expand With Erotic Thriller SOULM8TE In 2026". Empire. Archived from the original on June 11, 2026. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
  5. ↑ Grobar, Matt (August 9, 2024). "Lily Sullivan Lands Lead In M3GAN Spin-Off SOULM8TE". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 11, 2026. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
  6. ↑ Grobar, Matt (August 13, 2024). "David Rysdahl Joins Lilly Sullivan In SOULM8TE, Domestic Thriller Out Of M3GAN Universe". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 5, 2026. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  7. ↑ Grobar, Matt (August 11, 2025). "Amazon MGM's The Love Hypothesis Adds Rachel Marsh, Nicholas Duvernay, Jaboukie Young-White & Arty Froushan". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 28, 2026. Retrieved August 11, 2025.
  8. ↑ Gearan, Hannah (April 3, 2025). "Soulm8te CinemaCon Footage Follows Robot Girlfriend & Human Boyfriend In A Toxic Relationship". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on October 25, 2025. Retrieved November 24, 2025.
  9. ↑ Goyal, Aman (August 1, 2024). "M3GAN Spinoff SOULM8TE Starts Filming in Dublin in September". The Cinemaholic. Archived from the original on August 5, 2026. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  10. ↑ ""Soulm8te": Finaliza el rodaje del spin-off de "M3gan"". Aullidos. November 8, 2024. Archived from the original on June 11, 2026. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Narayan Van Maele Resume" (PDF). Worldwide Production Agency. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 19, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Mitglied - BFS". Bundesverband Filmschnitt Editor. Archived from the original on June 11, 2026. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  13. ↑ "Anthony Willis Scoring Kate Dolan's 'Soulm8te'". Film Score Reporter. July 8, 2026. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  14. ↑ "'Soulm8te' Soundtrack Album Details". Film Score Reporter. July 30, 2026. Archived from the original on August 1, 2026. Retrieved August 2, 2026.
  15. ↑ Gaze Film Festival Dublin (July 17, 2026). "Drumroll please... 🥁 We're very excited to announce our mystery film for GAZE 2026 will be the Irish premiere of #SOULM8TE, directed and co-written by one of Ireland's most exciting talents, Kate Dolan ❤️‍🔥". Retrieved July 24, 2026 – via Facebook.
  16. 1 2 Chitwood, Adam (July 8, 2026). "'M3GAN' Spinoff 'SOULM8TE' to Skip Theaters, Will Be Released Directly to VOD". TheWrap. Archived from the original on July 17, 2026. Retrieved July 8, 2026.
  17. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (June 20, 2024). "Atomic Monster & Blumhouse Expand M3GAN Universe With SOULM8TE, Set New Year's 2026 Release". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 11, 2026. Retrieved June 20, 2024.
  18. ↑ Squires, John (May 9, 2025). "M3GAN Spinoff Movie SOULM8TE Gets a New January 2026 Release Date". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on June 4, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
  19. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 16, 2025). "M3GAN Universe Movie Soulm8te Dropped From Release Calendar; Being Shopped". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 8, 2026. Retrieved December 16, 2025.
  20. ↑ Squires, John (March 4, 2026). "M3GAN Spinoff SOULM8TE Comes Back to Life With Official "R" Rating; Release Imminent?". Bloody Disgusting. Archived from the original on June 11, 2026. Retrieved March 5, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Soulm8te". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 28, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Soulm8te". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  23. ↑ Rooney, David (August 3, 2026). "'Soulm8te' Review: Erotic Fembot Thriller From the M3GAN-Verse Is Enjoyably Lurid Pulp That Comes Up Short on Satirical Bite". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 16, 2026. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  24. ↑ Harvey, Dennis (August 5, 2026). "'Soulm8te' Review: Fembot Goes Rogue in Polished but Predictable Tech Thriller". Variety. Archived from the original on August 16, 2026. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
  25. ↑ Oller, Jacob (August 2, 2026). "M3GAN gets its own shallow Companion piece with Soulm8te". AV Club. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Soulm8te&oldid=1380481865"