When the horror comedy “M3GAN” turned a success in early 2023 and turned its killer doll title character into an icon, director Gerard Johnstone — who, all through manufacturing, feared he was “making a career-ending goofy puppet film” — felt an immediate sense of liberation. “As restrained as the primary movie was, there was nothing restrained in regards to the response of the followers,” Johnstone advised IndieWire throughout a current interview.
That gave Johnstone the justification he wanted to take a giant threat with “M3GAN 2.0” and flip the story on its head, not solely turning M3gan into the protagonist, however making a movie in a completely totally different style from the unique — motion fairly than horror.
This time round, M3gan joins forces together with her nemesis from the primary movie, Allison Williams’ Gemma, to tackle a man-made intelligence-fuled robotic named Amelia who’s out to wipe out the human race. The tone? Nearer to “Terminator 2” than “Youngster’s Play.” The sequel additionally leans much more into the comedy, which Johnstone says was by design.
“All my favourite sequels have been a departure from the earlier movie in both style or tone, whether or not it’s ‘Evil Lifeless 3,’ ‘Mad Max 2,’ and even ‘Empire Strikes Again,’” Johnstone mentioned. “To me, it by no means felt controversial to not wish to retread the very same territory of the primary film. However though the tone is slightly totally different, I believe it’s nonetheless trustworthy to the character, who was all the time darkly humorous and barely absurd. It solely skews comedic as a result of she’s extra middle stage this time.”
Johnstone wrote the screenplay for “M3GAN 2.0” (the primary movie was written by Akela Cooper), however he offers credit score for the preliminary premise to producer James Wan. “James Wan had the preliminary thought of constructing one other robotic for M3gan to face off towards, and since the general public dialog round AI was evolving, that impressed me to reexamine M3gan as a personality — whether or not there could be an argument that she was put out to pasture earlier than she had the chance to evolve or study from her errors,” Johnstone mentioned.
Whereas the “Terminator 2” affect is most obvious, it’s simply one in all many reference factors in a cinematic tapestry stuffed with Easter eggs for horror, sci-fi, and fantasy followers. “There are virtually too many to call,” Johnstone mentioned. “M3gan’s lair could not have existed with out the affect of ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula,’ ‘Metropolis of Misplaced Youngsters,’ and ‘Pan’s Labyrinth.’ A much less aware affect got here when Amelia’s costume idea artwork was offered, which I noticed mirrored my love of ‘Robocop,’ ‘Past the Black Rainbow,’ and Daft Punk in equal measure.”
For the entire sequel’s modifications in tone and story, Johnstone was certain to reprise a few of the components that followers beloved within the first film — just like the dance M3gan did that went viral — albeit with some new twists. “Properly, there needed to be a dance, however clearly not one we may see coming,” Johnstone mentioned. A scene set at an AI conference created the proper showcase for M3gan to indicate off some new strikes.
“The AI conference supplied a possibility for M3gan to go incognito as a robotic dressed as a human dressed as a robotic — and ultimately get caught in a robotic dance-off,” Johnstone mentioned. “To tug it off required a hybrid efficiency between our unimaginable M3gan physique actress Amie Donald and an equally unimaginable robotic dancer from China by the title of ‘Barbin’ who’s fairly probably the best feminine pop and locker on the planet.”
M3gan’s robotic dance-off is only one instance of the difficult tonal steadiness Johnstone was going for in “M3GAN 2.0,” conserving the stakes excessive whereas taking part in up the comedy. “It’s all the time about committing wholeheartedly to no matter tone or style you’re in,” Johnstone mentioned. “This movie is clearly a really totally different beast, it’s rather more advanced, rather more difficult, and by design not fairly as scary as the primary.”
That mentioned, Johnstone hopes audiences will embrace the variations and recognize what’s new. “What we lack in scares we greater than make up for in different areas, like Jemaine Clement knocking over furnishings in an outsized cellular therapeutic massage chair,” Johnstone mentioned, referring to one of many movie’s extra hilarious bits of bodily comedy. Creating that form of comedy, Johnstone mentioned, could look straightforward, however it takes a number of effort to make one thing that’s “effortlessly” entertaining.
“It’s nothing however difficult!,” Johnstone mentioned. “Engaged on a film is probably the most bodily and mentally draining job I’ve ever had, and I say that as somebody who labored in a slaughterhouse. However we’re on this enterprise to make individuals pleased, and on the very finish of the method, once I get to take a seat in a theater and listen to individuals have a very good time, then I get to go residence pleased as effectively.”
Regardless of the fan response is to M3gan’s newest iteration, Johnstone felt that taking a daring swing was the one acceptable strategy. “It simply felt oddly limiting to have her do the identical factor once more,” he mentioned. “And I don’t suppose M3gan likes being put in a field.”
A Common Footage movie, “M3GAN 2.0” is now in theaters.