Fresh from the instantaneous success of Dune: Part Two, one of the sci-fi epic's leading actresses Rebecca Ferguson has been signed up to star in a new thriller opposite Guardians of the Galaxy's Chris Pratt.
Ferguson stars as Lady Jessica in the Dune universe, mother to Paul Atreides played by leading man Timothée Chalamet. The sequel to 2021's Dune has scored an almost perfect 10/10 with film critics; although the promotional popcorn buckets over in the States has left some with raised eyebrows.
Now, the 40-year-old is teaming up with Pratt for a brand new flick - and it is one that is getting similar reactions from film buffs following the initial announcement.
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The Swedish actress - who is also known for roles in The Greatest Showman and the Mission Impossible film series - will star alongside Pratt in Mercy, a new thriller from Amazon MGM Studios.
Directing the movie will be Timur Bekmambetov, known best for 2008's Wanted starring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy.
Deadline reports that the project came to Amazon via producer Charles Roven, who received his second Oscar nomination for Best Picture with Oppenheimer.
He's already got a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Drama for his producing in the historical epic, meaning the expectations are rightfully high when it comes to Mercy.
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Production is set to begin in the spring on the film.
As for the plot, Mercy is set in the near future where capital crime is on the up. It follows a detective, played by Pratt, who is accused of a violent crime and must take extreme measures to prove his innocence.
Following the announcement, film fans can't help but compare the brief synopsis to one sci-fi classic going back 22 years.
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"Is it just me or does this sound like a Minority Report remake without explicitly saying it’s a Minority Report remake," one person posted on X.
A second wrote: "Sounds just like Minority Report."
A third account added: "My immediate thought was this is Minority Report?!"
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Minority Report was released back in 2022 by Steven Spielberg, starring Tom Cruise and Colin Farrell.
For those who haven't seen it, it is set in 2054 in a world where a pre-crime police department stop criminals before they strike using foreknowledge from three psychics.
It was one of the biggest films of the year given the involvement of Cruise and Spielberg, costing $102 million and making $358 million at the box office alone.
It was extremely well received by critics, sitting with a 89% score on Rotten Tomatoes to this day.
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At this stage, it is best to take the comparisons with a pinch of salt.
The list is almost endless when it comes to films or television where someone is wrongfully accused of a crime they didn't commit - 2019's Angel Has Fallen is proof of that.
But if Mercy does in fact turn out to have eerie similarities to Minority Report, the competition will be stiff when it comes to pulling together a better product than the 22 year old film.
Topics: Celebrity, Chris Pratt, TV and Film, US News
Tom Earnshaw