Murder Drones (film)

"Hail to us."

- Tagline

Murder Drones is a 2024 science-fiction action comedy film loosely based on the series of the same name. It was directed by David Leitch and produced by Gabe Frost, Shawn Levy, Neal H. Moritz, and Leitch, with a screenplay by Liam Vickers. It stars Elsie Lovelock and Michael Kovach who reprise their roles as Uzi and N respectively, along with newcomers Ryan Reynolds, Matthew McConaughey, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, and Angourie Rice, who star in live-action roles. It tells the story of Uzi Doorman, a sardonic teen helper robot, who meets Serial Designation N, a drone who is meant to kill robots her kind, and the two develop an unlikely bond between each other.

Development of a Murder Drones film began in late 2021 when series creator Liam Vickers pitched a script to the Lerdwichagul brothers, who eventually accepted it. They looked for a production company to co-produce the film, but many, which included: Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, and 20th Century Studios, turned it down. The project was finally put in production when Sony Pictures Entertainment accepted the script and would release it under their Columbia Pictures label.

Murder Drones premiered in Sydney, Australia on November 7, 2024 and was theatrically released in Australia on December 4 before it was released in the United States two days later. It received positive reviews from critics for its visual effects, performances, score, faithfulness to the series, and suspense, but received some criticism for its screenplay and PG-13 rating. It grossed $548.7 million worldwide on a $93 million budget, making it the 23rd highest-grossing film by Sony. A spin-off prequel is in development.

Synopsis
"In a world where Worker Drones co-exist with humans, when interstellar and technology company JCJenson (IN SPAAAAACEE!!!!) announces the termination of the robots through the deployal of Dissassembly Drones, one of them falls into an unlikely relationship with one of the Workers in Anchorage, Alaska, prompting attempts by JCJenson and the Dissassembly Drones to break them apart."

-Sony Pictures

Plot
In 1988, interstellar and technology giant JCJenson announce Worker Drones, autonomous robots created to help humans in everything. However, since the later emergence of improved artificial intelligence later on, the company announced the mass termination of all robots left on the planet via Disassembly Drones sent to exterminate them.

Amidst the ongoing extinction of the Worker Drones, in Anchorage, Alaska, rebellious teenage robot Uzi Doorman nearly gets killed after a run-in with Serial Designation N, a Disassembly Drone. After she is recovered, Uzi encounters N again, to which she scolds him for nearly killing her. N says it's not his fault, and that he is forced to by order of JCJenson.

TBA.

Live-action roles

 * Ryan Reynolds as Raymond Brown, the CEO of JCJenson.
 * Matthew McConaughey as James Smith, the President of JCJenson.
 * Emma Watson as Kaylee Orlean, the CFO of JCJenson.
 * Michael Cera as Timothy Albert, the COO of JCJenson.
 * Angourie Rice as Tessa Elliott, a certified technician sent to assist V and J in finding Uzi and N.
 * Colin Jost as Collin Williams, the governor of Alaska.
 * Happy Anderson as "some creepy dude."
 * David Leitch as a taxi driver.
 * Jordan Peele as a JCJenson employee (uncredited).
 * Ken Jeong as an engineer (uncredited).

Voice roles

 * Elsie Lovelock as Uzi Doorman.
 * Michael Kovach as Serial Designation N.
 * Nola Klop as Serial Designation V.
 * Shara Kirby as Serial Designation J.
 * David Dixon as Khan Doorman.
 * Sean Chiplock as Thad.
 * Emma Breezy as Doll.
 * Caitlin Dizon as Lizzy.
 * Bruce Campbell as the JCJenson infomercial voiceover (uncredited).

Development
Following the release of the pilot in October 2021, a film based on the Murder Drones series was considered when creator Liam Vickers showed the project to Glitch Productions founders Kevin and Luke Lerdwichagul, who eventually found it "amazing and appealing." The film was originally going to be fully computer-animated until a decision was made to add live-action to it, as it might add a "new touch" to the series, as well as being somewhat "suitable" for the current world. Glitch looked for a production company to co-produce the film. The script was pitched to various companies, which included: Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures, and 20th Century Studios, who all passed down on it. Later discussions were made between Glitch and Sony Pictures Entertainment to produce a full-length feature film based on Murder Drones. In August 2022, when asked about if a film was in development, Vickers stated: "Please wait..." This prompted many viewers of the show to speculate that there was a possibility of a feature film adaptation.

In November 2022, it was announced that a live-action/animated film based on the series was in production with Columbia Pictures, with a slated release date of mid-to-late 2024. The film's story would be completely different from the series, as it would focus on an original story developed by Vickers, and would be more of a "romantic action" film. A budget of around $90 million to $100 million was funded to haul the project. Director David Leitch was announced to direct and produce the film, while Gabe Frost would produce the film under his banner New Eden Pictures. The next month, Shawn Levy and Neal H. Moritz joined the project as producers through their 21 Laps Entertainment and Original Film banners respectively.

During the film's premiere, Leitch revealed that there is a lost R-rated cut of the film. The Lerdwichagul brothers and Vickers confirmed this as true, and told fans that the cut was so "outside of the series" that it was quickly scrapped by order of Sony, and was rewritten to fit the PG-13 rating.

Pre-production
Due to the film going out of the series' base, creativity was said to have taken "ages" to think about. Locations and filming techniques were also hard to conquer, as the series originally took place in a winter wasteland. Leitch also said that any actions scenes in the film had to be pre-visualized and made to figure out how the film would play out.

In February 2023, the cast of the series were confirmed to reprise their roles respectively, while newcomer Keanu Reeves was announced in an undisclosed role. Ryan Reynolds and Emma Watson were also said to have joined in said roles. In April 2023, Michael Cera had joined the cast. In May 2023, Matthew McConaughey was said to have joined the cast. Reeves left the film later on, with Reynolds taking his role.

Filming
Principal photography began on March 5, 2023 under the working title Roboto & Julio, a play on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. The film was shot in Anchorage, Alaska, where most of the film took place. Principal photography wrapped on June 20, 2023 in San Francisco, California.

Post-production
The animation and visual effects were provided by Glitch Productions, who also produces the series, along with Cinesite.

Music
Main article: Murder Drones (film)/Soundtrack

Daniel Pemberton was originally hired to compose the theme until he dropped out due to scheduling conflicts, with Tom Holkenborg replacing him. However, he also left and was replaced by Cliff Martinez. AJ Dispirito, the composer of the series, returned to compose the film's score.

The song "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf is a recurring theme in the film. A cover by Elsie Lovelock and Michael Kovach was also released online on October 8, 2024. Other songs are played throughout the film, such as "Tainted Love", "Everybody Wants To Rule The World", "Blue Monday", and "Just Can't Get Enough."

Marketing
A teaser trailer of the film was revealed during GlitchX, which showed a snowy background with a shadow of Uzi approaching before cutting to black. The same day, a teaser poster was also revealed online.

From September to December 2024, a website of JCJenson, the antagonistic faction of the series and film, was created by Sony. The website included information about Worker and Disassembly Drones, while it also showed biographies of the company's key people, including the CEO of JCJenson.

Theatrical
Murder Drones held its world premiere in Sydney, Australia on November 7, 2024, where Glitch is located. It was released theatrically first in Australia on December 4, and then released in other international markets on December 5 before its initial release in the United States on December 6 in RealD 3D, Dolby Cinema, and IMAX formats. It was originally going to be released on July 5, 2024, but was delayed to October 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was then delayed to its initial date. Those who attended the film's theatrical screenings were given free mini figurines of Uzi, N, V, and J respectively.

Home media
Murder Drones was released for digital download by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on February 11, 2025 before it was released on Ultra HD Blu-Ray, Blu-Ray, and DVD formats on March 18, 2025. The Blu-Ray and Ultra HD formats contain deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes, audio commentary by Leitch, the Lerdwichaguls, Vickers, and Frost, and the full uncut gameplay of Uzi and N's Call of Duty: World at War gaming scene featured in the film.

Box office
Murder Drones grossed $195.4 million in the United States and Canada, and $353.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $548.7 million against a budget of $93 million.

Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 84% based on 304 reviews, with an average rating of 8.1/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "System error: Murder Drones captures the perfect combination of romance, sci-fi, and action." On Metacritic, the film has a score of 75 out of 100 based on 48 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews." Audiences polled on CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported around 82% filmgoers giving it a positive review, with 67% giving it a "definite recommend."

Prequel
In November 2023, Sony began development on Murder Drones: Creation, a prequel that depicts JCJenson years before the events of Murder Drones and the lead-up to the development of Worker Drones. Shawn Levy was in talks to direct the film.