M3GAN Director Reveals The Original Ending That Proved Impossible To Shoot
This article contains major spoilers for "M3GAN."
Thanks to months of genius viral marketing, "M3GAN" proved to be yet another successful venture for Blumhouse. The caregiver AI turned sassy murderer is carving a name for herself in a world where Chucky currently holds the heavyweight title of cinema's memorable killer doll, and it's easy to see why. The acrobatic physicality of Amie Donald, coupled with the vocal performance of Jenna Davis, has proved to be a potent mix that brings cinema's newest slasher baddie to the screen with entertaining results. Not giving M3GAN her own franchise would be such a wasted opportunity. But given how the film ends, a sequel was always inevitable.
Even though the film was whittled down from a considerably more violent screenplay, some of which was shot, "M3GAN" still manages to end things on a high note. After finally seeing the destructive impact of her emotional support doll, Cady (Violet McGraw) activates Bruce, a large robot her aunt Gemma (Allison Williams) made in college, and proceeds to give M3GAN a beatdown, ripping her in half. This is what we like to call Chekov's Bruce.
The fight goes on for a little bit longer before Cady gets the final blow in, damaging M3GAN's central processing chip with a screwdriver. The technological nightmare is over! But that last little shot of Gemma's Elsie device turning on by itself leaves the impression that M3GAN Ultron-ed herself into it before her death. It's a good place to leave off while providing enough of an ending to close out the story proper. But according to director Gerard Johnstone, the ending initially looked a little different.
Bruce to the rescue!
During an interview with Variety, Johnstone talked about how the ending remained relatively intact. M3GAN still had a showdown with Bruce, but rather than ending things in Gemma's workshop, the fight went on for a little bit longer. Bruce's head would have been thrown out of a cloud of smoke. M3GAN's upper torso would have been held back by whatever was left of the friendly robot, but its staging proved to be too much of a hassle:
"It was great, and I was really in love with it. But we couldn't do it for a number of practical reasons. We tried to shoot that version, and the physics didn't work out. There were all these logistical things. So that's why we end up doing the version we did. But I love the version we did, even though that was a cool idea. I love the version we got because it made Cady's character so much more interesting."
The sequence of events they ended up going with was definitely the right way to go, and Johnstone's last point is right on the money. While using Bruce to finish her off would have been cool, Cady using an inanimate object not only gives her a more personal connection to M3GAN's death, but it serves a greater thematic tie. For a movie about a child growing an unhealthy attachment to technology, it would have been strange for her to use technology to sever their bond. While the movie is certainly a funny and silly sci-fi horror movie, it's emotional beats hit stronger than expected. This ending wraps it all up quite nicely.
The future of M3GAN looks bright
M3GAN may have been momentarily defeated, but the film's powerful showing at the box office indicates that this is only the beginning of her cinematic rampage. A sequel has been officially announced, and the creative team has already thrown around some ideas. Johnstone seems more than excited about the possibilities that lie ahead for the lovable AI menace (via Variety):
"There are so many ideas that we had and facets of M3GAN's personality that we wanted to explore. I totally think there's more to say. And I know that M3GAN would have more to say. I would love to do another one. Hopefully soon, while it's still fresh in everyone's minds."
A M3GAN follow-up will likely see her looking for some payback, especially since the ward she was built to protect turned against her. With Cady being the one to make M3GAN (temporarily) obsolete, the killer toy is bound to latch onto her like Chucky (Brad Dourif) did with Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent). Maybe the sequel will see M3GAN's power grow to the point where she's able to form a Tony Stark nanotech layering over Bruce's body. Call it MEGA M3GAN.
"M3GAN" may be temporarily defeated, but you can rent or buy her movie just about anywhere you can rent or buy movies.