Chucky has some new competition in the killer doll genre. But had "M3GAN" ended the way it was originally intended, would it have been as much of a hit?
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00:00 Chucky has some new competition in the "killer doll" genre, but had Meghan ended the way
00:04 it was originally intended, would it have been as much of a hit?
00:08 Thanks to months of genius viral marketing, Meghan proved to be yet another successful
00:12 venture for production company Blumhouse.
00:14 The AI-powered doll-turned-killer is carving a name for herself in a world where Chucky
00:18 currently holds the heavyweight title of cinema's most memorable killer doll, and it's easy
00:22 to see why.
00:23 The acrobatic physicality of Amy Donald, coupled with the vocal performance of Jenna Davis,
00:27 has proved to be a potent mix that brings cinema's newest slasher baddie to the screen
00:32 with positive results.
00:33 "How could you just discard me like some cheap dollar store trinket?"
00:37 Not giving Meghan her own franchise would be such a wasted opportunity, but given how
00:41 the film ends, a sequel was always inevitable.
00:43 Even though the movie was whittled down from a considerably more violent screenplay, some
00:47 of which was shot, Meghan still manages to end things on a high note.
00:50 After finally recognizing the destructive nature of her emotional support doll, Katie,
00:54 who's played by Violet McGraw, activates a large robot named Bruce, her aunt Gemma, played
00:59 by Alison Williams, made in college.
01:01 From there, the robot proceeds to give Meghan a beatdown, ripping her in half.
01:05 The fight goes on for a little bit longer before Katie delivers the final blow, damaging
01:09 Meghan's central processing chip with a screwdriver.
01:12 The technological nightmare is over, but that last little shot of Gemma's Alexa-like LC
01:17 device turning on by itself suggests that Meghan ultroned herself into it before her
01:21 death.
01:22 There wasn't enough of a conclusion to close out the story, but according to director Gerard
01:26 Johnstone, the ending initially looked a little different.
01:28 During an interview with Variety, Johnstone talked about how the ending remained relatively
01:32 intact.
01:33 Meghan still had a showdown with Bruce, but rather than concluding things in Gemma's workshop,
01:37 the fight went on for a little bit longer.
01:39 Bruce's head would have come flying out of a cloud of smoke, while Meghan's upper torso
01:43 would have been held back by whatever was left of the friendly robot.
01:46 Unfortunately, the staging proved to be too much of a hassle.
01:49 Johnstone explained,
01:50 "We couldn't do it for a number of practical reasons.
01:52 We tried to shoot that version, and the physics didn't work out.
01:55 There were all these logistical things.
01:57 So that's why we ended up doing the version we did.
01:59 But I love the version we did, even though that was a cool idea.
02:02 I love the version we got because it made Katie's character so much more interesting."
02:06 The sequence of events they ended up with was definitely the right way to go, and Johnstone's
02:10 last point is right on the money.
02:12 While finishing her off with Bruce would have been cool, Katie using an inanimate object
02:16 not only gives her a more personal connection to Meghan's death, but it serves a greater
02:19 thematic tie.
02:20 "You're gonna pair with her.
02:23 That means she will recognize you as her primary user."
02:26 For a movie about a child growing an unhealthy attachment to technology, it would have been
02:30 strange for her to use technology to sever their bond.
02:33 The film's emotional beats hit stronger than expected, and this ending wraps it all up
02:36 quite nicely.
02:37 Meghan may have been momentarily defeated, but the movie's powerful showing at the box
02:41 office indicates that this is only the beginning of her cinematic rampage.
02:45 A sequel has been officially announced, and the creative team has already thrown around
02:49 some ideas.
02:50 Johnstone seems more than excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for the lovable
02:54 A.I. menace.
02:55 He told Variety,
02:56 "There are so many ideas that we had and facets of Meghan's personality that we wanted to
03:00 explore.
03:01 I totally think there's more to say.
03:03 And I know that Meghan would have more to say."
03:05 A Meghan follow-up will likely see her looking for some payback, especially since the ward
03:09 she was built to protect turned against her.
03:11 With Katie being the one to make Meghan temporarily obsolete, the killer toy is bound to latch
03:16 onto her just like Chucky did with Andy Barclay in the Child's Play series.
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