Thanks to strong reviews, a buzzy trailer and young fans celebrating the film on TikTok, “M3GAN” is about to top $100 million worldwide. The Gerard Johnstone-directed film was sold as yet another horror team-up between Jason Blum’s Blumhouse and James Wan’s Atomic Monster, with both moguls now famous enough among horror fans for such a pitch to qualify as akin to Steven Spielberg and George Lucas uniting for “Raiders of the Lost Ark.”
The film’s not-so-secret weapon, however, is its screenwriter Akela Cooper. The self-professed genre nerd isn’t yet a household name, but she may be on her way to becoming one.
Cooper took time last week to speak with TheWrap, discussing the origins of “M3GAN,” trimming the initially R-rated film to a PG-13 and inserting her parents into the “Star Trek” universe. Most importantly, she answered tough questions about the biggest plot hole in her 2018 slasher romp “Hell Fest.”
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Scott Mendelson: Did “M3GAN” begin as your own original screenplay?
Akela Cooper: I had written two original spec scripts that got me a meeting at Atomic Monster. During that chat, one of the things they had was an idea about a modern day killer doll movie with James Wan. Their pitch was “Child’s Play” meets “Chopping Mall.” They knew they didn’t want it to be supernatural. They wanted it AI-based, like a homicidal “American Girl” doll.
I knew she was going to be called Megan. I knew the opening of the movie — a car accident that turns a young girl into an orphan. “What if I had to take care of a child? I’m not equipped for that!” I pitched (a quick treatment) to them. It’s the kernel of the idea that like James and his executives had, and then I took that ball and ran with it. We got that ball to Blumhouse. Jason Blum was all “This ball is awesome. Let’s do this.”
You had nothing to do with James Wan’s 2007 supernatural slasher “Dead Silence,” but that film, “Malignant” and “M3GAN” all open with a worst-case scenario violent tragedy. You’ve got a man’s wife being murdered by an evil ventriloquist dummy. The 2021 Wan-directed chiller opens with a woman’s abusive husband being murdered by a supernatural entity while she is attacked resulting in a miscarriage and now “M3GAN” opens on a young girl’s parents dying in a freak auto accident. Coincidence or correlation?
“M3GAN” was a coincidence. When I was discussing “Malignant” with James Wan and [co-writer] Ingrid Bisu, they, the domestic violence aspect was already present. I added the baby because that’s how my brain works. There’s was then a whole backstory with Gabriel was feeding off of the hormones in the pregnancies. This was how Gabriel has been growing.
It had to be an orphaned child because who is going to be more eager to have a new friend? That’s also where I was able to build the emotional connection. M3GAN is trying so hard to make sure Violet McGraw’s Katie is safe and happy. Katie becomes emotionally dependent, which is different than “Child’s Play.” Comparatively, Andy quickly realizes “My doll is kind of fucked!”
I wanted Katie to have to make that choice at the end of the film. Is this child actually going to choose this doll?
(When the first trailer, released in October of 2021, went viral, the decision was made to trim the film down to a PG-13 so that younger kids who were becoming fans of the murderous title character could see the picture theatrically)
There is a version of the movie that did have like more blood. Fingers crossed that we’ll get an unrated version when “M3GAN” comes out on on [DVD, VOD and Blu-ray). Not to give too much credit to Tik Tok, but once the trailer came out and teenagers responded so well to it, it was a matter of whether Universal felt they were leaving money on the floor.
You’ve found yourself in a very unique position, both as a Black women finding fortune and glory in an industry generally dominated by white men and as a potential marquee screenwriter in a director-driven medium.
I have been incredibly lucky in like the pairings that I have had in this business. I don’t hide the fact that I’m Black woman or that I’m a giant nerd. I’ve worked on pretty much nothing but genre shows [like “Grimm,” “Tron: Uprising” and “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds”] because that is the space that I love.
I had various general meetings with various studios around when “Get Out” came out that felt forced. “Oh, Akela Cooper, like she writes genre!” But those meeting were “Can you write horror that speaks to Black trauma or has something to say?” I could, but also, it’s a revolutionary act to just have a horror movie with Black people where they don’t die, and they just exist. We [non-white male screenwriters] can do that too.
But with Atomic Monster, it was just a conversation with people who loved horror. “Oh, you like “Pumpkinhead” and we like “Pumpkinhead!” Yes, I saw “Child’s Play” as a small child and yes, I watched “Hellraiser” at an inappropriate age! “So you want to take a crack at our killer doll movie?”
I hope that I have been able to open the door for others, so that everyone is given a shot to write something that doesn’t have to be racially specific, unless that is what the writer wants to do.
(When asked about “The Nun 2,” which she wrote for theatrical release this September, she held firm and offered zero spoilers or relevant gossip. She did name “The Conjuring” as her favorite entry in the ongoing “Conjuring” Universe)
So, about “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds,” the second episode you wrote (“The Elysian Kingdom”), almost made me well up in the middle of a workday, so thanks for that.
I got to name characters after my parents who were huge “Star Trek” fans and got me into the series. My parents are now part of “Star Trek” canon. I do a little dance every time that pops in my head.
I do have one very serious bone to pick with one of your previous films, “Hell Fest.” The epilogue reveals that the murderer is a busy and engaged husband and father. My wife and I both called bulls*** on that. Speaking as someone that didn’t have time to shower this morning, how in the world does he find time to do a ritualistic murder spree?
He’s got multiple masks on that wall. He’s been doing that for a while. His wife is picking up a lot of that slack. it would be ironic if he was the good husband. I have friends who have two young children. They will always trade off weekends when they need to. When his wife wants to go out with her friends, like he’s got to watch the kids and so maybe it’s that.
That’s why there hasn’t been a sequel, because his wife won’t let him have another night out!
He can’t get out of the house again!
So, if you had to pick one previous killer doll to have their ass kicked by M3GAN…
I gotta go with my boy Chucky. But does Billy in “Magic” count as a killer doll? I can’t stand ventriloquist dummies. Like, the opening of Wan’s “Dead Silence”… if someone like James Wan jokingly delivered a ventriloquist dummy to me now, I would put it in my garage and call him and be like, “You need to have someone come get this.”
Yeah, Netflix sent me a package promoting “Pinocchio” and I absolutely through twice before opening it. Thank you very much for speaking with me. Let me know if you want to catch up when you win your MTV Movie Award.
Oh, god, that’s I didn’t even realize that. I just want to see people dressed up as M3GAN at Halloween Horror Nights. I didn’t even think about the MTV Movie Awards because that would that would be the award show that would honor something like this.
