‘Mercy’ Trailer Debuts Chris Pratt’s High-Stakes Trial Against AI Judge

A detective faces execution in a dystopian courtroom where artificial intelligence delivers swift justice without human intervention. Accused of murdering his wife, he must unravel the truth within 90 minutes to sway the unyielding AI system he once helped create. The second trailer for ‘Mercy’ escalates the tension, revealing glimpses of his desperate investigation amid holographic evidence and neural interrogations.

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, the film reunites him with Chris Pratt from their 2008 collaboration ‘Wanted,’ where Pratt played a novice assassin discovering superhuman abilities. Bekmambetov, known for ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ in 2012 and the 2018 cyber-thriller ‘Profile,’ employs long takes filmed like stage plays, with 60-minute continuous shots capturing Pratt’s restrained performance strapped to an interrogation chair. The screenplay by Marco van Belle, who penned ‘Arthur & Merlin’ in 2015, explores themes of technological overreach in judicial processes set in 2029.

Pratt portrays Detective Chris Raven, the architect of the Mercy Capital Court system designed to eliminate bias through algorithmic rulings. Rebecca Ferguson voices Judge Maddux, the AI entity manifesting as a holographic prosecutor that analyzes biometric data and witness testimonies in real time. The trailer’s point-of-view shots immerse viewers in Raven’s perspective, including neural scans that expose suppressed memories and fabricated alibis.

Supporting cast includes Kali Reis as Ana, a fellow detective aiding the probe, drawing from her role in ‘True Detective: Night Country’ in 2024; Annabelle Wallis as a key witness with ties to the victim’s past, following her performance in ‘Malignant’ in 2021; and Chris Sullivan as a skeptical colleague, recognized from ‘This Is Us’ across six seasons from 2016 to 2022. Additional roles feature Rafi Gavron, Kenneth Choi, Kylie Rogers, and Jeff Pierre, adding layers to the conspiracy surrounding the wife’s death.

Amazon MGM Studios produces the project, with principal photography completed in downtown Los Angeles to evoke a near-future urban decay. The budget remains undisclosed, but Bekmambetov’s emphasis on practical effects and minimal CGI aligns with a reported mid-range allocation under $80 million. Filming incorporated IMAX-certified cameras for enhanced immersion, positioning ‘Mercy’ for 3D screenings to heighten the claustrophobic trial sequences.

Pratt described the role in a behind-the-scenes featurette as unlike his prior action fare, blending thriller elements with philosophical debates on AI ethics. “It’s action-packed, but you’re gonna want to see this in 3D—it’s f—ing awesome,” he stated, highlighting sequences involving high-speed pursuits and augmented reality reconstructions of the crime scene. Ferguson, voicing the AI from a remote studio, noted the challenge of conveying machine-like detachment through vocal modulation and digital effects.

The trailer’s release coincides with rising public discourse on AI in legal systems, echoing real-world pilots like predictive policing algorithms deployed in 15 U.S. cities by 2025. ‘Mercy’ critiques these advancements through Raven’s irony: his advocacy for efficiency now traps him in a verdict rendered by probabilities exceeding 99.9% certainty. Visual motifs include flickering holograms and vein-mapped lie detection, underscoring the film’s warning on surrendering judgment to code.

Theatrical rollout begins January 23, 2026, via Amazon MGM’s distribution arm, targeting a post-holiday slot against limited competition from indie dramas. International expansion follows in February, with Prime Video streaming rights secured for a six-month exclusivity window post-theatrical. Early festival buzz positions it for South by Southwest in March 2026, where Bekmambetov’s ‘Profile’ premiered to acclaim for its real-time hacking sequences.

For Pratt, ‘Mercy’ bridges his blockbuster slate, including voicing Mario in Illumination’s ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ that summer and guest arcs in ‘The Terminal List: Dark Wolf’ series. His 2025 output featured four episodes of the Amazon action-drama, contrasting ‘Mercy”s cerebral pace. Ferguson, post-‘Dune: Part Two’ in 2024 where she reprised Lady Jessica, infuses the AI with chilling precision honed from ‘Silo’ seasons one and two on Apple TV+.

Bekmambetov’s direction favors kinetic energy within confined spaces, reminiscent of ‘Wanted”s bullet-time innovations that grossed $351 million worldwide on a $75 million budget. ‘Mercy’ expands this with procedural realism, consulting LAPD protocols for authenticity in evidence handling. The score, composed by an undisclosed artist, integrates synthetic pulses to mirror the AI’s thought processes.

As Hollywood grapples with AI’s dual role in production—tools like script-generating bots adopted by 40% of studios by 2025—’Mercy’ arrives as a timely cautionary tale. Raven’s arc culminates in a revelation tying corporate espionage to the judicial flaw, forcing a reevaluation of mercy in machine logic. With its blend of spectacle and substance, the film signals Pratt’s pivot toward prestige sci-fi amid franchise fatigue.