Artificial intelligence (AI) now permeates almost every aspect of human existence. But what happens when it advances to the level of judge, jury and executioner in our judicial system? That’s exactly what happens in the new techno-thriller Mercy. Starring Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy), Rebecca Ferguson (Silo), and Kari Reis (True Detective: Night Country), the film delves into a near-future that sees Pratt facing “trial” for the murder of his own wife. The kicker? He has no memory of the night of the event, but has only ninety minutes to prove his innocence. At yesterday’s New York Comic-Con (NYCC 2025) panel we got a lot of insight into how the film was made, and the AI implications thereof.

In many ways Pratt’s role in Mercy represents a new iteration of the actor, Director Timur Bekmambetov told us. This time around the usually comedic actor is much darker and more vulnerable than in roles’ past. Here, he spends a great deal of the film strapped helplessly to a chair in a void-like expanse…. All the while as his life literally flashes before his eyes. Kali Reis plays his partner, torn between her loyalty to him and the justice system in which she believes. Though the focus of the film is in the “void,” flashback nonetheless provide lots of action.

Mercy highlights the advantages and dangers of AI in law enforcement

Reiss and Pratt both described filming as a “high-tech Zoom session,” filming apart (physically) for most of the shoot.  AI even features in how Mercy will play in theaters. It won’t just be 3-D, it will be an immersive, “augmented-reality experience,” said producer Charles “Chuck” Roven (Dark Night Trilogy; Oppenheimer). Still, the film will not be without its human element, something Reiss spoke to in our interview earlier in the day.

Mercy
(L-R) Chriss Pratt, Kari Reis, Director Timur Bekmambetov, and Produer Chuck Rove talk ‘ Mercy” at NYCC 2025. (Image: JJ Goodman for That Hashtag Show, LLC)

When asked about her portraying a law enforcement officer again, Reiss noted that it was important for her, as “a woman of color” whose had her own “negative experiences” with law enforcement, to provide a positive light for someone like her in that role. That human aspect is critical to a film where AI dominates the landscape. Chris Pratt’s character literally tries to defend himself for a murder he’s not even sure he committed.

Mercy hits theaters January 23, 2026.