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New York Post
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘M3GAN' director reveals if he intentionally tried to make a viral scene in the sequel
No one likes a try hard. Despite creating the viral dance scene for 'M3GAN,' director Gerard Johnstone exclusively told The Post that he didn't try to replicate that when making the new sequel. 'The point of the first movie was to kind of suggest to the world maybe we shouldn't be on TikTok and Instagram all the time, and maybe we should spend more time with our children,' Johnstone explained. 'So the fact that it blew up on Instagram was really fun, but it was kind of like a bit of a two-edged sword.' Advertisement 9 M3GAN in 'M3GAN 2.0.' ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection 9 M3GAN is voiced by Amie Donald. ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection 'Look, as a creative person and as a person who thinks of movies as art, I want the movie to sell, but I don't like making a movie to sell if that makes any sense,' the filmmaker continued. Advertisement 'I don't think about things that will become viral. I think if you pander, audiences can sniff it out. So I never wanted to do that.' However, Johnstone wanted certain scenes in 'M3GAN 2.0' — namely the moment where M3GAN sings the Kate Bush song 'This Woman's Work' to Gemma (Allison Williams) — to stick out to the audience. 'People love the dance so much, and they love the song so much. I knew that I had to do those two things,' he said, 'but I had do it in a way that no one is expecting.' 9 Gerard Johnstone in his interview with The Post. Advertisement 9 Allison Williams as Gemma in 'M3GAN 2.0.' AP 9 Gerard Johnstone on the set of 'M3GAN 2.0.' AP Johnstone also spoke about how the sequel has a different balance of horror and comedy than the original. 'The movie has a certain tone and a certain character to it,' he shared. 'And I think obviously this one leans much more comedy than the first one did and makes no apologies for that. But when you have M3GAN stepping out of the shadows and now she's front and center… by the time Gemma traps M3GAN in this toy robot, we know what movie we're in. Advertisement 9 Gerard Johnstone on the set of 'M3GAN 2.0.' ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection 'But at the same time,' Johnstone continued, 'I think the jokes are always that much better when you tell them with a straight face. You're always writing sort of a fine line between kind of tension and comedy and not doing anything that goes too far and sort of steps over that line and goes into farce.' M3GAN, now turned to the good side to defeat a new killer robot named AMELIA, has no shortage of iconic moments in the sequel. But one scene in particular stands out to Johnstone. 9 M3GAN in a scene from 'M3GAN 2.0.' AP 'I don't know if this was one is my favorite, but the one that comes to mind is the mechanical M3GAN scene,' the director told The Post. 'I think it's a really sweet, kind of heartwarming scene. It's when Violet [McGraw]'s kind of getting to the heart of the unresolved issues she has around M3GAN and questions whether or not M3GAN does really love her or she's just a program carrying out its objective and she's a bunch of ones and zeros.' 9 Gerard Johnstone speaks at the 'M3GAN 2.0' premiere in New York City on June Universal Pictures and Blumhouse 'The idea for mechanical M3GAN was a really late addition to the script,' Johnstone revealed. Advertisement 'It was not there initially, and it was only in pre-production I had this idea that if M3GAN really wants to get a body and needs Gemma to get her body, we should see why. And it turns out she can't do this on her own, and the version she's in is quite ridiculous. So yeah, that was a fun, magical scene to do.' Johnstone said Williams' final monologue about the relationship between humans and technology was an important element of the movie, as well. 9 M3GAN and Violet McGraw in the first 'M3GAN' film. ©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection Advertisement 'That's why it is so gratifying to make these movies because they do sort of exist on one track,' he explained. 'On one track, it's just like absolutely pure popcorn entertainment and on the other, it is getting to say something about the times that we're living. It'll be awesome if people do sort of take that away with them.' 'M3GAN 2.0' is in theaters now.
Business Insider
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
'M3GAN 2.0' director breaks down the movie's most memorable scene and why he chose that song
Who knew a Kate Bush song would generate the highlight moment in "M3GAN 2.0"? Leading up to its ultra-violent conclusion, Gemma (Allison Williams) opens up to M3GAN about the challenges of trying to be a motherly figure to her niece Cady (Violet McGraw). It's an unexpected somber moment in a horror movie centered on a homicidal robotic doll. Then, out of nowhere, M3GAN begins to sing to Gemma Kate Bush's late 1980s hit single "This Woman's Work." As M3GAN belts out the song, Gemma commands her creation to stop singing. But M3GAN keeps on going, pressing two of her robotic fingers on Gemma's lips to silence her as she sings on. Even a full orchestra kicks in to heighten the moment. It's a laugh-out-loud moment that writer-director Gerard Johnstone knew would work, going all the way back to when he put it in an early draft of the script. "There were two things about the first movie that defined it, M3GAN's singing and her dancing," Johnstone told Business Insider. "I knew that as much as I wanted to change things up on this one, I had to figure out a way to do those two things. It was so delightful that we kind of pulled it off and got the moment that we were hoping for." Like the first movie, M3GAN has her dance moment in the sequel, but this time, it's her singing that is the highlight — and Johnstone knew the Bush song would work. "There were a few conversations with my producers about using that song," he said, "and I just felt there's something about it, the way Kate Bush writes music, no one else writes music that way, so I thought it's going to be odd, but people are going to love it." The singing scene was done with a fully animatronic M3GAN The singing sequence also showcases the evolution of the robotics used for M3GAN compared to the first movie, as Williams acted across from an animatronic puppet. "That is our animatronic M3GAN doing everything," Johnstone said. "We recorded those lines leading up to that moment. The song itself was sung by Jenna Davis, who voices M3GAN." "Then there were three puppeteers behind M3GAN helping to position her body," Johnstone continued. "A puppeteer's arm is M3GAN's arm in that moment, to do some of the moves like putting her two fingers on Gemma's lips." Johnstone said the animatronic lip sync was so spot on that Williams had to make sure her timing was right in the scene when she delivered her lines, even when the voice coming out of M3GAN would suddenly change from Davis to a high-pitched Johnstone. "Every now and again, if there was a line change, suddenly someone else's voice, often mine, would pop up out of M3GAN's mouth," he said. "So Allison would have to try not to break character and stay in the moment when that happened." The result is an outlandish scene of M3GAN serenading Gemma to a Kate Bush hit. And Johnstone says it comes at a perfect time in the movie. "Normally, around that time in a movie is where things start to drag, when you're going into the last act," Johnstone said. "But it's kind of great having a scene like that that sort of carries us over into the finale." The animatronics in "M3GAN 2.0 " are impressive, but Johnstone hopes to do even more if he is given a chance to make a third movie.
USA Today
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- USA Today
How 'M3GAN 2.0' wooed Kate Bush for that demented needle drop
Spoiler alert! We're discussing minor details about the new action comedy 'M3GAN 2.0' (in theaters now). It wouldn't be a 'M3GAN' movie without a killer needle drop. In the 2023 viral sensation, acerbic android M3GAN serenades the orphaned Cady (Violet McGraw) with a wispy rendition of 'Titanium' by David Guetta and Sia. The trailers for its big-screen follow-up, 'M3GAN 2.0,' have similarly deployed Chappell Roan and Britney Spears earworms. But none can compare to the demented brilliance of a pivotal new sequel scene, in which M3GAN launches into 'This Woman's Work' by Kate Bush. The jarringly hilarious performance comes after a rare earnest conversation between M3GAN and Cady's roboticist aunt, Gemma (Allison Williams), who worries about her shortcomings as a parent to her young niece. M3GAN uses the tranquil pop ballad to ostensibly console her, in her own disconcerting way. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox 'Being on the receiving end of 'This Woman's Work' was the most incredible experience,' Williams says with a laugh. The actress and producer helped choose the song with writer/director Gerard Johnstone. 'M3GAN being all-seeing is Gemma's biggest insecurity," Williams says. But instead of judging her, "M3GAN is like, 'No, I do see you as a parent, and I'm moved by how burdened you are by your dual identities as a mother and person who's leading this charge in tech.' Gerard's favorite thing is to set up an emotionally truthful moment that feels cathartic, and then exploding it in a way that you're not expecting.' Gemma initially feels a newfound connection with M3GAN, but quickly grasps that the demonic doll is merely trying to manipulate her emotions through song. 'It causes Gemma to realize, 'Oh, I've done it. I've gotten sucked into the wonder of my own invention,' ' Johnstone says. 'It was a scene that was not only funny and surprising, but also hit on a lot of different levels story-wise.' Bush wrote the tune for the 1988 movie 'She's Having a Baby,' which was used to convey a character's painful experience with childbirth. Here, the track reflects Gemma's own experiences with sacrifice and being thrust into motherhood when her sister died. To get the rights to use it in 'M3GAN 2.0,' Johnstone personally wrote a letter to the English recording icon. 'I just wanted her to know that it came from a place of me just being a huge fan,' Johnstone recalls. 'I was also fighting back suggestions that we should go with a different song that was more commercially known. I was like, 'No, this is the perfect song.' And she was so gracious. We actually filmed that scene without yet having permission and we were all just hoping we were going to get it by the time the film came out. Luckily, she came through.' The sci-fi thriller is part of a pop-culture resurgence for the 'Wuthering Heights' chanteuse, who last released an album, '50 Words for Snow,' in 2011. Since then, her music has been featured in TV's 'Stranger Things' ('Running Up That Hill') and 'The Handmaid's Tale' ('Cloudbusting'). Bush watched the 'M3GAN 2.0' scene for herself, although 'I don't know what she thought of it,' Johnstone says. 'The (production) company gave her as much as they could to buy the song and she just gave it to charity. She's an incredible artist and it made me even more of a fan.'
The Guardian
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Your Friends & Neighbors to Black Mirror: the seven best shows to stream this week
Manifesting his signature blend of unshakeable self-confidence and understated self-loathing, Jon Hamm stars in this midlife-crisis satire. Coop (Hamm) is a hedge fund manager who, after years gazing down at the world from an ivory tower, finds his life falling apart. His wife has gone, his kids are expensive, his sister's mental health problems are getting worse and he's lost his job. 'Your biggest mistake,' his boss tells him, 'was thinking any of this was ever yours.' At a barbecue hosted by friends, he has an idea: the people around him are awful and undeservedly rich – so why not rob them? Soon, everything is spiralling out of control in very entertaining fashion. Apple TV+, from Friday 11 April Depending on your tolerance levels for horrifyingly prescient dystopian parables, this is either a brilliant time for the whole of this fine, gruelling series to reappear on Channel 4's streaming site or a terrible one. The saga is about to reach its climax with the imminent UK release of season six. But if you can bear it, go back to the beginning of the story, based on the novel by Margaret Atwood, but soon taking on a life of its own and exploring extreme, coercive patriarchy via the harrowing journey of June Osborne (the brilliant Elisabeth Moss). Kate Bush's This Woman's Work will never sound the same 4, from Friday 11 April The second series of this wallow in the wealth of professional footballers is here. While the focus is on the wives of the players, this series introduces three new couples: Gabriel Magalhães and Gabrielle Figueiredo; Leon Bailey and Stephanie Hope; and Marc Cucurella and Claudia Rodríguez. Annoyingly for Chelsea-haters, the Cucurella clan seem lovely – Marc and Claudia have been together since their late teens and their family includes three children, one of them autistic. But otherwise, it's not particularly illuminating television. Prime Video, from Tuesday 8 April Is there a more dismaying portmanteau than 'momager'? It crops up early on in this bleak documentary series, which begins as a story about pre-teen influencer Piper Rockelle but soon pivots into examining the role of her mother Tiffany. Piper came to prominence as a member of the Squad, a group of friends whose pranks earned them millions of followers on social media. But with huge sums of money coming in, this couldn't stay childish hijinks for long. Did Tiffany sexualise the group's content? And what happened to the kids who wanted out? Netflix, from Wednesday 9 April Sign up to What's On Get the best TV reviews, news and features in your inbox every Monday after newsletter promotion The return of the nuance-free domestic thriller in which the protagonists' lives ricochet wildly between bliss and horror. Tasha (Céline Buckens) is at a beachside cafe in Cyprus with her beloved daughter Emily (now called Lucy). But a sharp exit hints at problems and it soon emerges that Tasha is on the run and almost out of money. Worse still, Tasha's ex, Jack, is about to be released from prison after taking the rap for Emily's apparent death. It's an absurd, tangled web and, if you can suspend disbelief, a pretty compelling from Thursday 10 April Never let it be said that Charlie Brooker's dystopian anthology doesn't keep pace with current events. The seventh season includes a USS Callister sequel that feels like an allegory for the amoral ruthlessness of big tech. Also, Common People uses revolutionary brain surgery to explore the degradation of online existence, as a woman's inability to afford upgrades means she can't stop spamming her own life with adverts. And the casts are sensational, with Rashida Jones, Peter Capaldi, Issa Rae, Paul Giamatti and Emma Corrin. Netflix, from Thursday 10 April 'I would like all the cats I rescue to have a 'forever home'. Or should I say 'purr-ever home?'' You might regard this documentary – directed by Bryce Dallas Howard – as cute or twee, possibly even both, but it can't be accused of not fully buying into its own concept. It's essentially a celebration of humanity's relationship with animals and the stories it tells are relentlessly upbeat. Expect gentle explorations of everything from the effect dogs can have on the happiness of disabled children to the way horses can comfort people near the end of their lives. Disney+, from Friday 11 April
