Aman Goyal
Cameras will follow a “lovebot” from the ‘M3GAN’ universe in Ireland this fall! The filming of the horror thriller ‘SOULM8TE’ will begin in Dublin in September. Kate Dolan is at the helm of the film, which is produced by James Wan and Jason Blum under their respective banners, Atomic Monster and Blumhouse Productions. Dolan rewrote a screenplay penned by Rafael Jordan based on a story by Wan, Jordan, and Ingrid Bisu. Universal Pictures will release the movie on January 2, 2026.
The plot revolves around a grieving man who, in an attempt to cope with the loss of his recently deceased wife, acquires an artificially intelligent android doll. He aims to create a truly sentient companion, but the experiment goes awry, turning what was developed as a harmless object into a dangerous soulmate. The narrative, reminiscent of the themes of obsession and lust found in ‘Fatal Attraction,’ is described as a ’90s-style erotic thriller made all the more haunting with advanced modern technology.
Dolan made her feature directorial and screenwriting debut with the 2021 Irish horror flick ‘You Are Not My Mother,’ which was well-received by critics. She recently directed episodes of the TV shows ‘The Tourist’ and ‘Kin,’ the latter of which won her an IFTA Award. With over a decade of experience behind the camera, the writer-director has also helmed various short films and music videos and contributed to the art and production fields, as well as the camera and electrical departments.
Bisu is credited with co-writing the story of James Wan’s ‘Malignant’ and appears in the movie as CST Winnie. She also portrayed Jessica in ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ and Sister Oana in ‘The Nun,’ both of which were co-produced by the Australian filmmaker. Jordan, who crafted the original screenplay of ‘SOULM8TE,’ recently created the dystopian series ‘Salvage Marines’ and was part of the writing team of many indie films such as ‘Cowboys vs Dinosaurs,’ ‘Pegasus: Pony with a Broken Wing,’ and ‘2020.’
Wan is also attached to the highly anticipated direct sequel to ‘M3GAN,’ ‘M3GAN 2.0,’ which will arrive in theaters on June 27, 2025. Apart from ‘Malignant’ in 2021, the ‘Furious 7’ director was primarily attached to the ‘Aquaman’ franchise in the last few years. Following ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,’ his upcoming directorial works include ‘The Call of Cthulhu.’ He also continues to produce films in the ‘Insidious’ and ‘The Conjuring’ franchises, the latter of which is slated to conclude with the upcoming chapter, ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites.’
Dublin, the Irish capital, is a famous tourist destination that attracts filmmakers with its combination of urban infrastructure and countryside. The city has particularly drawn low-budget productions and horror thrillers similar to ‘SOULM8TE,’ such as ‘Arcadian,’ ‘The Pope’s Exorcist,’ and ‘Abigail.’ Other projects with haunting and psychedelic visuals captured in the region include ‘Euphoria,’ ‘Penny Dreadful,’ and ‘Wednesday.’
Read More: The Office Spinoff The Paper Starts Filming in Los Angeles in November
