Deadline is reporting that Amazon MGM Studios has won the race for Mercy. This is a Chris Pratt-led sci-fi film with deals in place for a global theatrical release. Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) directs under producer Charles Roven. Production starts this Spring.
Mercy is set in the near future when serious crime has increased. Pratt plays a detective accused of a violent crime who is forced to prove his innocence. Marco van Belle wrote the script.
Pratt seems to be finding a home at Amazon MGM. The Tomorrow War was switched from Skydance / Paramount to Amazon at the start of the pandemic. Pratt is also the producer and star of The Terminal List and its prequel and sequel.
Pratt played James McAvoy’s obnoxious office colleague in Bekmambetov’s adaption of Wanted.
Maybe it is the power of Roven, a veteran producer, and serious Hollywood power player, that has caused Mercy to be among a number of titles Amazon MGM is pushing to theatrical. This won’t make Doug Liman any happier. His Road House remake being pushed to streaming made him most unhappy recently. Comments from Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios, are unlikely to calm him:
“From the moment Chuck Roven brought us Mercy and we read Marco van Belle’s script, we knew the film was meant for the big screen. As our relationship with The Terminal List and The Tomorrow War’s Chris Pratt continues to extend across film, we can’t wait to watch him bring this action-packed story to life, guided by Chuck and the vision of director Timur Bekmambetov. We could not imagine a better star and filmmaking team to execute on and deliver what is sure to be a gripping thrill ride and look forward to audiences being able to experience it in theatres.”
I don’t know about Liman, but that makes me cringe, and I am not even involved.
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