Show Notes
In 2023, Megan – a sassy robot, designed to be your daughter’s best friend – danced and dismembered her way to internet infamy. The title character of director Gerard Johnstone and writer Akela Cooper’s Blumhouse horror-comedy was an evil doll in the tradition of Chucky from Child’s Play, but at the same time, distinct in her modernity. As I asked in my review for Empire Magazine at the time: “Has Chucky ever interrupted a stabbing spree to sing Sia’s pop smash ‘Titanium’? Has Billy the Puppet ever broken into a TikTok-style dance before another Saw franchise victim met their violent demise?” The answer was no, and a moment in meme culture was born. There were SNL skits about Megan, starring Aubrey Plaza. The film took $181m at the box office against a paltry $12m budget. It seemed inevitable a sequel would follow – and two years later, that sequel is here.
Written by Gerard, my guest today, from a story he conceived with Cooper, the film is bigger in every possible regard. It lays on the explosions and spectacle thicker and faster than before, throwing car chases and robot-on-robot fist fights into the mix this time around. It’s higher in stakes: the fate of the world is on the line here, as a new rogue A.I threat, Amelia, emerges. And it’s also more expansive in the conversation this Frankensteinian fable wants to have about parenthood, as well as the genie-out-of-the-bottle effect of artificial intelligence.
But did you know in the first draft of this sequel, Joe Rogan and Snoop Dogg had brief parts written for them? Or that at one point in the script, Cady – played by Violet McGraw – has to fend off her sweet, old grandad in a fight scene in a diner, because he’s being controlled by a neuro-chip? Or that the story initially involved Amelia firing missiles into the Middle East, sparking a new conflict in the region – a plot line removed for obvious reasons?
In the spoiler conversation you’re about to hear, Gerard walks me through his fascinating and extremely funny sequel. We get into all the important plot points in spoiler detail – and talk about the pressure of following up a film with the kind of immense digital footprint that the first one had.
Script Apart is hosted by Al Horner and produced by Kamil Dymek. Follow us on Instagram, or email us on [email protected].
Screenwriters – get comprehensive feedback on your latest script from Al Horner by visiting ScriptApart.com/coverage.
To get ad-free episodes and exclusive content, join us on Patreon.
Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands
Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
More from Script Apart with Al Horner
There's plenty to reckon with in The Social Reckoning, Aaron Sorkin's sequel-of-sorts to The Social Network – one of the most lauded films of the century so far. That David Fincher-directed tale explained how Facebook, one of the most powerful companies on the planet, came to be – and the alleged spite and insecurity that caused its creator, Mark Zuckerberg to create it. Sixteen years later, he's back – this time in the director's chair, with the story of what social media spiralled into as Zuckerberg – this time played by Jeremy Strong – chased profits at the expense of civic responsibility. On today's Script Apart, Aaron returns to the show to break down his screenplay for the film in spoiler detail – and outline why he's "not ruling out" making a film about Luigi Mangione, the 28-year-old alleged to have murdered killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in 2024. Script Apart is hosted by LA-based journalist, screenwriter and script consultant Al Horner. For comprehensive feedback on your screenplay, head to scriptapart.com/coverage. Want more Script Apart in your life? Subscribe to our Substack today, featuring exclusive essays and interviews. Follow Script Apart on Instagram and TikTok.
Live from the belly of the beast – aka a London hotel room before the European premiere of their new movie – Brian Duffield (Spontaneous, No One Will Save You) and Daniel Kraus (the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angel Down) are my guests this week, breaking down a survival thriller with surprising emotional dimensions. Whalefall is the pair's exhilarating new underwater adventure, and on today's episode, the three of us reunite, having spent time together on the set of the movie in 2025. Get ready for a deep dive – sorry, couldn't resist – into all the film's twists and turns, as well as personal revelations about what the story means to each of them. It's a whale of a time. Script Apart is hosted by LA-based journalist, screenwriter and script consultant Al Horner. For comprehensive feedback on your screenplay, head to scriptapart.com/coverage. Want more Script Apart in your life? Subscribe to our Substack today, featuring exclusive essays and interviews. Follow Script Apart on Instagram and TikTok.
That's all, folks? Not by a long shot. Coyote Vs Acme – the Who Framed Roger Rabbit-esque courtroom comedy written by my guest today. Samy Burch – was famously cancelled by Warner Bros in late 2023 but has since experienced a remarkable revival, making its way to screens this summer as the result of enormous public outcry. Today on the show, Samy breaks down both the film itself and the ways in which life imitated art in the aftermath of the movie's creation. The Dave Green-directed Looney Tunes tale is ultimately a story of David vs Goliath – an underdog (quite literally) going up against a huge corporation. That's what the story of Coyote vs Acme itself ended up becoming. On this week's episode, Samy and I dissect it all. Script Apart is hosted by LA-based journalist, screenwriter and script consultant Al Horner. For comprehensive feedback on your screenplay, head to scriptapart.com/coverage. Want more Script Apart in your life? Subscribe to our Substack today, featuring exclusive essays and interviews. Support for this episode comes from our friends at Final Draft. Follow Script Apart on Instagram and TikTok.
The world has forgotten New York's famous web-slinger in the latest blockbuster outing in the MCU. The irony is, in real life, Peter Parker is a character that pop culture could never forget or cast aside. In today's Script Apart, Erik Sommers and Chris McKenna – the screenwriters behind this summer's all-conquering 'Brand New Day' – contemplate why that is and what makes him so enduring. They also share how Daredevil himself, Matt Murdock, almost had a presence in the movie, as Peter's lawyer during a court case after Spidey becomes the victim of IP theft. Yes, you read that right. Script Apart is hosted by LA-based journalist, screenwriter and script consultant Al Horner. For comprehensive feedback on your screenplay, head to scriptapart.com/coverage. Want more Script Apart in your life? Subscribe to our Substack today, featuring exclusive essays and interviews. Support for this episode comes from our friends at Final Draft. Follow Script Apart on Instagram and TikTok.
Time to delve into screenwriting parts unknown with the writers of one of 2026's most moving coming-of-age dramas. Todd Bartels and Lou Howe are my guests today, discussing in spoiler-filled detail how they cooked up a biopic exploring the teenage life and times of one Anthony Bourdain – author, chef and beloved TV travel host. Discover how they approached the various story threads and characters in the Matt Johnson-directed drama – and what they had to get right in the script to do right by the great man, whose memory could easily have been desecrated. Script Apart is hosted by LA-based journalist, screenwriter and script consultant Al Horner. For comprehensive feedback on your screenplay, head to scriptapart.com/coverage. Want more Script Apart in your life? Subscribe to our Substack today, featuring exclusive essays and interviews. Support for this episode comes from our friends at Final Draft. Follow Script Apart on Instagram and TikTok.