M3GAN 2.0 Director Will Not Force Meme-Friendly Moments But Will Continue To Be "Fun, Absurd, and Surprising"
M3GAN was a such fun horror movie and audiences and critics both seemed to really enjoy the craziness of it all. The trailer for the movie instantly went viral and there were so many memes that came from the over-the-top aspect of the film, but that’s something that the director is going to face with the recently announced sequel M3GAN 2.0.
During a recent interview with /Film, director Gerard Johnstone was asked if he would include those kinds of things in the sequel, and he said:
"I think if you do that, you are kind of setting yourself up to fail, and the audience will smell that a mile away. I think for me, what works about the movie and what I think people are responding to is that it's fun and absurd and full of lots of pleasant surprises."
He’s absolutely right, you can’t force that kind of stuff, it just has to come naturally from the story they are looking to tell. Sure, I’m sure those memeable moments will be there, but it will happen organically from the style and tone of the film they are trying to make as M3GAN 2.0 will lean into the absurdist, camp sensibilities of the original. Johnstone explains:
"And so looking at the sequel, those are my sort of paragons that I'm just trying to follow is like, how can we continue to be fun, absurd, surprising, but at the same time make sure that we continue to be part of the cultural conversation, I guess. In addition to the dance, we're not too heavy-handed about it, but there are themes about co-parenting in the age of A.I. and things like that. So it's important to have some substance to hang all of those dance sequences onto."
As I said before, those dance sequences are amusing, but they are the least interesting thing about the movie. As long as the writing and direction are as on point and as sharp as the first movie, then the fans will be happy.
M3GAN 2.0 is scheduled for release on January 17, 2025. Akela Cooper will write the script and Allison Williams and Violet McGraw will reprise their roles.