Star Wars star and Ahsoka's best villain scores lead role in M3GAN 2

Ahsoka star Ivanna Sakhno has joined the cast of M3GAN 2.0. According to Deadline, she'll be one of the leads in the Blumhouse and Atomic Monster sequel.

The Ukrainian actor, who played the villainous Shin Hati in the Star Wars spin-off series, will share the screen with confirmed returning cast members Get Out's Allison Williams and The Haunting of Hill House's Violet McGraw, who respectively played Gemma and Cady in the first film.

Directed by Gerard Johnstone, and released in 2023, M3GAN centers on a gifted roboticist (Williams), who invents a mechanical friend for her newly orphaned niece following the sudden death of her sister and brother-in-law. Preoccupied with work and unable to connect with the lonely youngster, Gemma programs M3GAN to "protect Cady from harm, both physical and emotional" – an update that ends up having terrible consequences when the artificially intelligent doll becomes overprotective and starts offing anyone she perceives as a threat.

Akela Cooper, who wrote the original, penned the sequel's script with Johnstone, who is also returning to helm the new chapter. While the follow-up's plot remains under wraps, fans have been speculating as to whether it'll be inspired by The Terminator franchise, and see the titular bot join forces with her former enemies to protect them from an even greater evil.

If so, could Sakhno, whose past credits include Pacific Rim Uprising and The Spy Who Dumped Me, be playing said greater evil? She's certainly no stranger to portraying bad guys...

Only time will tell. M3GAN 2.0 is set to release in cinemas on May 16, 2025. While we wait, check out our list of the best horror movies of all time, or our guide to the most exciting upcoming horror movies heading our way.