The partnership between Amazon and MGM Studios has birthed many various genre projects. One of the latest is a sci-fi thriller starring Chris Pratt (“Guardians of The Galaxy”) titled, “Mercy,” The new pic hails from Timur Bekmambetov, the Kazakh-Russian filmmaker likely best known for the Mark Millar comic book adaptation “Wanted” starring James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie superhero-level assassins.
Another high-profile addition to the cast has been announced as Deadline reports that “Mercy” has landed Swedish-British actress Rebecca Ferguson (“Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” the “Dune” franchise), who will take another leading role in the pic that is expected to start shooting this spring. “Mercy” is expected to get a worldwide theatrical release before landing on Prime Video as a streaming exclusive.
With a script from writer Marco van Belle, “Mercy” is set in the near future and sees a big rise in capital crime. It follows a detective (Pratt) accused of a violent crime and forced to prove his innocence. The plot certainly sounds like it will take a page from Steven Spielberg’s “Minority Report.” However, it is unclear if we will get cyberpunk elements and who exactly Ferguson will play.
This isn’t the only genre project on the horizon for Ferguson, as she is expected to reprise the role of Lady Jessica in Denis Villeneuve’s yet-to-be-greenlit “Dune Messiah,” and is expected to return for a second season of Apple TV+’s “Silo.” She is also attached to lead Tim Miller’s (“Deadpool”) fantasy revenge flick “Best Served Cold” based on the novels penned by Joe Abercrombie that could become a franchise starter for Ferguson if it becomes successful enough. Ferguson recently revealed she exited the “Mission: Impossible” franchise because she wasn’t interested in the direction the studio/producers planned on taking her character, Isla Faust, and it was simply time to move on.