It slayed the internet.
Director Gerard Johnstone explained Saturday his thought process behind the now-viral clip from his upcoming horror film “M3gan,” exclusively reports Entertainment Weekly.
The clip of the Model 3 Generative Android (M3gan) dancing has spawned several parodies and internet memes, turning the killer doll into an icon.
“It was one of those crazy, sleep-deprived, 3 a.m. thoughts,” said Johnstone.
“Wouldn’t it kind of be funny if the soundtrack suddenly became real and M3GAN ended up busting a move to whatever music was playing. It was just something that everyone embraced and loved.”
According to one of the film’s producers, the creative team already had memes ready to deploy if needed.
“We had internally come up with memes to distribute, but we didn’t end up needing to deploy them, because people started making their own,” said “M3gan” star and producer Allison Williams. “You can’t even dream that big when you’re doing something like this. That was just such an exciting day. It was proof of concept.”
The film follows a roboticist named Gemma (played by Williams) who is suddenly in charge of taking care of her niece Cady after her parents suddenly die. To help the young child cope with the anxiety and loneliness, Gemma deploys M3gan to be the child’s friend. However, the robot becomes increasingly protective of the child.
“This is a film about people who don’t spend enough time with their children,” says Johnstone.
The dance has exploded on TikTok with several users recreating the hilarious moment or using the image of the android as a meme.
One iconic moment was at the premiere of the film where several dancers dressed as the robot managed to recreate the dance for fans just before watching the film. The TikTok has gained 1.3 million views.
“M3gan” is set to dance its way into theaters on January 6, 2023.