Its funny, I really hadnt done that yet, says the horror auteur.
And that was his prime reason to createM3GANwith screenwriter Akela Cooper.
In my previous doll movies they dont kill anyone.
From left: Amie Donald as M3gan (voice: Jenna Davis) and Violet McGraw.Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Annabelle never gets up and walks around.
Everyone says Im the killer doll guy.
So I said, Im going to make a killer doll movie for a brand new generation.
James Wan attends asUniversalPictures presents the M3GAN Premiere at the TLC Chinese Theater (photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages)
We heard on Friday, per sources, that a sequel is already in early development.
At its opening gross level, the pic is on an exclusive 17-day theatrical window.
I wanted to make a movie that really connects and is emotional, Wan tells Deadline.
He was drawn to Cooper for her old-school horror sensibility as well as her predilection for dark humor.
Johnstone, who cut his teeth directing TV comedy, madeHouseboundthrough the New Zealand Film Commission for $400K.
Its there that she suspects that something evil may be lurking.
The pic eventually made its way to Netflix.
The first cut didnt work well and needed to be scarier.
So Johnstone schooled himself in the genre through a stack of Wan and Blumhouse DVDs.
Peter Jackson caught wind of Housebound and helped catapult Johnstones career.
Johnstone is repped by CAA and manager Ken Kamins, the latter of whom is also Jacksons manager.
I was a big fan of Gerards movieHouseboundand I kept telling everyone about it, says Wan.
Its very similar toM3GANin that its horror, but a strong shade of comedy.
She did this dramatic thing in the audition where she was crying the whole way through.
She was so fragile and vulnerable, my heart was breaking.
Then when I met her via Zoom, she was really fun.
She was an unbelievable machine and was completely off book, says Johnstone about working with McGraw.
But when production shifted to New Zealand, they landed on Amie Donald.
But what tookM3GANto another level was Universals push under ChiefMarketingOfficer Michael Moses.
I will be the THEE FIRST in line to M3GAN!!
1980s monster doll Chucky began feuding with M3GAN onsocial media.
The trailer generated multiple trending topics on Twitter, YouTube and GIPHY.
M3GANranked on all of the key year-end trends like Spotify Wrapped and Lensa AI.
According to RelishMix, YouTube views were blazing from fan-posted M3GAN review spots and other mashup trailer reposts.
Four studio videos fueled a huge viral rate of 86:1 for M3GAN.
We worked with Michael on 35 movies.
When you see that team get excited about a movie, they pull out all the stops.
Theyre low risk, but when they hit, its like winning the lottery.
