During my fun day at New York Comic Con on Oct. 9, I attended the panel for the new Amazon-MGM Studios action flick “Mercy”, which opens on January 23rd. It stars Chris Pratt and Kali Reis, who were on the Empire Stage to discuss the movie alongside director Timur Bekmambetov (“Wanted”) and Oscar-winning producer Charles Roven (“Oppenheimer”). Pratt went pretty in-depth with his analysis on the story, his character and the film’s visual style.
This is a 90-minute, ticking clock, real-time thriller set in the not too distant future (the year 2029) about Detective Chris Raven (Pratt), who’s on trial for the murder of his wife. He’s sitting in a chair as evidence is presented to him in the form of intense body cam, drone and cell phone video footage from A.I. Judge Maddox (played by Rebecca Ferguson). Pratt stressed in the panel that both Chris and the audience don’t know whether he killed his wife, but he’s only got an hour and a half to prove his innocence. An exclusive clip was also shown.
“Mercy” feels like one of those films that could go either way. The premise could rise above gimmick status and work successfully, or it will stay at that level and feel cheesy. A January release is also risky — sometimes it’s a dumping ground for studios, but it’s not always the case. “Mercy” will be released in theaters in 2D, 3D and IMAX, and is one of several major movies for Amazon MGM next year, joining Ryan Gosling’s “Project Hail Mary” (Mar. 20), the live-action “Masters of the Universe” (June 5) and Anne Hathaway’s “Verity” (Oct. 2).
Pratt’s “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” will open April 3rd, from Universal. Fun Fact: The Empire Stage was where I saw the trailer launch of “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” — with Jack Black in attendance — in October 2022.