Subservience Director SK Dale Compares the Film to Jennifer's Body, Addresses Sequel Possibilities

Dale compares Subservience the Diablo Cody cult classic, and explains what he would do next in a sequel.

By Russ Burlingame

In the recently-released Subservience, Megan Fox plays an AI-powered android who works her way into the lives of a man whose wife is ill. The performance is an interesting one, as she has to be chilling without being too open with any emotional expression, and director SK Dale praised Fox's portrayal when we spoke to him about the film. Joking that the movie "kind of 'Android Jennifer's Body,'" Dale told ComicBook that he has loved seeing the new appreciation audiences have for Fox -- someone whose work was often mocked and belittled at the start of her career. 

In the years since that movie was released, it's undergone a serious critical reappraisal, and discussions around Fox have in general become more favorable and less sexist than they once were. Dale says, as someone who's always been on board, that has been satisfying to see.

"I think it's great," Dale told ComicBook. "When any film that you grow up watching, and the people don't like it, finally gets this newfound love? I think that's great. I think [Fox] has had an amazing career. Transformers is still one of my favorite action films, and Jennifer's Body, I loved it. I was really thinking about tht when were developing a script, and thinking about how this would be really interesting for Megan to play, and about the similarities to those characters. This really is kind of 'Android Jennifer's Body, so you know...if the film comes out and everyone hates it, maybe in ten years, they'll love this one, too."

The black humor aside, Subservience seems to have largely found its audience, with 61% on the Popcornmeter at Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing. As with any direct-to-streaming movie, its chances of a follow-up are likely to be contingent on how well it performs over the coming months, but Dale does have at least some idea of where he would go if the studio wanted more.

"I really love the way it finishes off," Dale told us. "I think if we were to expand on the story, I would really want to explore the evolution of the AI, as she becomes more self-aware. That kind of stuff probably excites me. I think as a storyline and in terms of the functioning of this fractured family trying to find that unity, I like how this narrative path plays out, and I like the open-endedness that we have, too. We never wanted it to feel like a Marvel movie setting up for a sequel....We needed the audience to know that there is more to come for [the family], but not necessarily in a way that's setting up the Avengers coming in five films' time."

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In Subservience, Megan Fox stars as Alice, a lifelike artificially intelligent android, who has the ability to take care of any family and home. Looking for help with the housework, a struggling father (Michele Morrone) purchases Alice after his wife becomes sick. Alice suddenly becomes self-aware and wants everything her new family has to offer, starting with the affection of her owner – and she'll kill to get it.

Subservience is now available on Digital and On Demand services.

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