M3GAN 2.0 director explains why they gave M3GAN an unexpected redemption arc

Everyone deserves a second chance — including M3GAN.In the new horror sequel, the AI-powered doll is rebuilt and turns to the good side as she teams up with Gemma (Allison Williams) and Gemma’s niece Cady (Violet McGraw) to defeat a humanoid military robot named AMELIA.Director Gerard Johnstone exclusively told The Post that he was “thrilled” about the decision to give M3GAN a redemption arc in “M3GAN 2.0.”“Before I signed on, James Wan, as the producer of the movie … created the concept and the character of M3GAN the first time around,” Johnstone explained.And for the sequel, Wan “had the idea of M3GAN going up against another doll.”“And I was thrilled with that idea because, over the course of making the first movie, I had learned to really empathize with her as a character and try to understand things from her point of view.”The filmmaker continued, “I kind of felt like, in a funny way, she was a little bit shortchanged, and it was interesting getting audience reactions that kind of said, ‘We were on M3GAN’s side right up until the very last minute of the movie.’ And doing another story gave me an opportunity to give her a redemption arc, which I thought would be somewhat unexpected, but also kind of obvious in a way.”“People love her so much, they wanna see her get her own story,” Johnstone added.In hindsight, Johnstone said he believes the audience was always on M3GAN’s side, so he knew they’d appreciate her role as a hero in the sequel.“It was almost like I was the last one to the party … They had already decided she was a hero and I just really needed to give them the movie that would solidify that,” he shared.Johnstone also confirmed that he never planned to make M3GAN a villain again.“I just wanted the audience to not be sure,” he said.

“I thought this will be more satisfying, if the audience is kind of not sure if they can trust M3GAN or not.And then that way, it plays to our own fears about AI.

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