Since “M3GAN 2.0” hasn’t gone before cameras yet, the film has not been rated. Presumably, Universal will once again aim for a teenage crowd with the theatrical version and attempt to create a more gruesome secondary cut.
To wit, “M3gan” was infamously rated PG-13 for its intense scenes of horror-related violence, a gesture that made genre audiences hungry for more blood. An unrated cut released to Peacock pushed the film’s gore quotient up to a higher level. That version eventually made its way onto home media releases as part of an unrated cut.
Akela Cooper explained to the Los Angeles Times in January 2023 that she wanted the film to be even more violent. “No shade to Universal, love them, and I understand that once the trailer went viral, teenagers got involved and you want them to be able to see it. There should be an unrated version at some point … I heard it is on the books. But yes, it was way gorier. Her body count in the script was higher than in the movie. It wasn’t a Gabriel [in ‘Malignant’]-scale massacre, but she did kill a bunch more people, including a couple of characters whom James was like, “I like what you did with those people, but I want them to live.” I was merciless, but again, that is me. My humor is extremely dark.”
