Shortly after getting spicy at the box office with Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two, Rebecca Ferguson is ready to use her voice for another high-profile film project with Mercy, a detective thriller starring Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy, The Garfield Movie, The Terminal List). Amazon MGM Studios is developing the Timur Bekmambetov-directed (Wanted, Ben-Hur, Night Watch) feature for a theatrical release.
According to Deadline‘s exclusive report, Mercy occurs “in the near future when capital crime has increased. Mercy follows a detective (Chris Pratt) who is accused of a violent crime and forced to prove his innocence.” Charles Roven joins the project as a producer alongside Atlas Entertainment SVP Robert Amidon, Bekmambetov’s BEL studio, and film producer Majd Nassif. Cameras intend to roll this spring.
After starring in films like The Greatest Showman, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, and Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Rebecca Ferguson returns to Arrakis for the second chapter of Denis Villeneuve’s science-fiction epic Dune: Part Two. The sequel to Villeneuve’s 2021 blockbuster is in theaters now and smoking the competition. The film earned $82.5 million at the domestic box office, leading to a more significant weekend than Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Dune: Part Two could cross the $300 million mark once positive word of mouth spreads like wildfire, but we’ll need to wait for more details.
Rebecca Ferguson plays Jessica in the latest iteration of the Dune franchise. According to the Dune Wiki, Jessica was the concubine of Duke Leto Atreides I, the mother of his son, Emperor Paul Atreides, and daughter, Alia Atreides. She was also a Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit Sisterhood. As a formidable warrior and tactician, Jessica uses her “voice” and influence to manipulate players in an ongoing war to control land and spice, a precious resource that powers technology across the planets.
What do you think about Ferguson and Pratt teaming up with Timur Bekmambetov for a detective thriller set in the near future? Bekmambetov’s signature style could be perfect for this type of project, and Ferguson’s star power only adds to the excitement. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this one as it develops.