- Warning: There are some spoilers ahead for "M3gan."
- The film follows an overprotective android, M3gan, that becomes a killing machine.
The now-viral dance scene in "M3gan" wasn't in the film's original script.
"That moment has had a long life in the script. I can't remember when and what iteration, what draft it showed up," Allison Williams told Insider in December while discussing her role in the film about an overprotective AI that becomes a killing machine.
According to Akela Cooper, who wrote the screenplay, the scene near the movie's end where M3gan performs an elaborate, distracting dance before murdering a toy CEO was the brainchild of director Gerard Johnstone.
—;-) (@MrHappy103) December 11, 2022
"There are such absurd moments that Gerard added, which gives it that fun, camp feel," Cooper said in the film's production notes. "I didn't write M3gan dancing; I wrote her on a killing spree. When I saw it, I thought, 'This is so weird, but it works. That makes the death all the more uncomfortable.'"
In an interview with TooFab, Johnstone said he "just kind of snuck" the moment into the film "to see if anyone would say anything."
According to Williams, who also serves as an executive producer on the film, the scene received a large reaction on set after it was performed for the first time by Amie Donald, whose first acting credit is in the Blumhouse thriller. (Another actor, Jenna Davis, provided M3gan's voice in the film.)
"When she did it for the first time, we were all just like, it was spontaneous applause from the whole crew. It was just the most stunning display of skill," Williams said.
The dance itself was choreographed by movement coach Jed Brophy, who played Nori in "The Hobbit" franchise and recently appeared in Amazon's "The Lord of the Rings" series, along with dance instructor Kylie Norris.
Donald came to "M3gan" with a background in dance, having represented New Zealand at the Dance World Cup in 2019.
Williams told Insider that Donald's view was limited while performing the dance on set.
"When she was performing M3gan, she was wearing this mask with these tiny holes in it so that she could see out of it, so it would make it easier for CGI to recreate her face," Williams said of a prosthetic face Donald wore during takes.
She added: "Just imagine doing that dance, being able to see only a tiny amount and just doing it so flawlessly and with all that attitude. She's amazing."
"M3gan" may not be the last we see of the killer AI. Despite being destroyed near the film's end, the final scenes hint M3gan may have survived.
The New York Times reported in November that Universal already has plans for a sequel.
When Insider asked Williams whether she was pitched "M3gan" as a one-off or something with franchise potential, Williams said, "The idea of planting a little bit of a seed that we might wanna keep going is always a good idea."
She continued: "If there's an appetite for it, I think we would all be excited to do another one."
"M3gan" is in theaters now.