M3GAN 2.0 with Gerard Johnstone

Jul 13, 2025

Gerard Johnstone, director of M3GAN and its sequel, dives into the blend of horror and humor that makes these films unique. He discusses the evolution of M3GAN from a killer doll to a larger-than-life spectacle, tackling themes like AI's implications on parenting and warfare. Johnstone elaborates on the emotional storytelling made relevant by today's tech anxieties, sharing personal anecdotes that shaped character arcs. Plus, hear about the challenges of sequel filmmaking and the amusing prospect of transforming iconic films with a comedic twist!

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INSIGHT

Megan 2.0 and Amelia Contrast

The addition of a new robotic antagonist, Amelia, expands the story with military AI threat themes.
Megan shifts from threat to protector, mirroring debates on AI learning empathy and autonomy.

INSIGHT

Amelia as Military AI Symbol

Amelia is a realistic, militarized android designed for lethal purposes unlike Megan's toy origins.
The film reflects fears about AI’s weaponization and military applications in modern society.

ANECDOTE

Cut Celebrity Cameos

Early drafts included Joe Rogan and Snoop Dogg commenting on AI controversies.
These ideas were cut due to timing and production constraints despite adding cultural commentary.

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In 2023, Megan – a sassy robot, designed to be your daughter’s best friend – danced and dismembered her way to internet infamy. The title character of director Gerard Johnstone and writer Akela Cooper’s Blumhouse horror-comedy was an evil doll in the tradition of Chucky from Child’s Play, but at the same time, distinct in her modernity. As I asked in my review for Empire Magazine at the time: “Has Chucky ever interrupted a stabbing spree to sing Sia’s pop smash ‘Titanium’? Has Billy the Puppet ever broken into a TikTok-style dance before another Saw franchise victim met their violent demise?” The answer was no, and a moment in meme culture was born. There were SNL skits about Megan, starring Aubrey Plaza. The film took $181m at the box office against a paltry $12m budget. It seemed inevitable a sequel would follow – and two years later, that sequel is here.

Written by Gerard, my guest today, from a story he conceived with Cooper, the film is bigger in every possible regard. It lays on the explosions and spectacle thicker and faster than before, throwing car chases and robot-on-robot fist fights into the mix this time around. It’s higher in stakes: the fate of the world is on the line here, as a new rogue A.I threat, Amelia, emerges. And it’s also more expansive in the conversation this Frankensteinian fable wants to have about parenthood, as well as the genie-out-of-the-bottle effect of artificial intelligence.

But did you know in the first draft of this sequel, Joe Rogan and Snoop Dogg had brief parts written for them? Or that at one point in the script, Cady – played by Violet McGraw – has to fend off her sweet, old grandad in a fight scene in a diner, because he’s being controlled by a neuro-chip? Or that the story initially involved Amelia firing missiles into the Middle East, sparking a new conflict in the region – a plot line removed for obvious reasons?

In the spoiler conversation you’re about to hear, Gerard walks me through his fascinating and extremely funny sequel. We get into all the important plot points in spoiler detail – and talk about the pressure of following up a film with the kind of immense digital footprint that the first one had.

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