Summary

Collider’s Steve Weintraub talks with Chris Pratt and Kali Reis for Amazon MGM Studios’ Mercy.

In this interview, Pratt and Reis discuss the use of A.I., society’s reliance on technology, and making a “screenlife” movie.

Reis also shares details on Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil, and Pratt teases new information on The Terminal List Season 2.

In an interview for his new sci-fi crime thriller, Mercy, star Chris Pratt spoke with Collider’s Steve Weintraub about returning as James Reece for the upcoming second season of Prime Video’s hit series The Terminal List. From previous talks with author and series creator Jack Carr and showrunner David DiGilio, we know the team behind the military show is aiming for bigger and better, raising the bar on a global level. Now, Pratt confirms The Terminal List Season 2 is currently being edited, and they’ve finished six of the eight episodes, adding, “It is truly remarkable.” He continues, “Get yourself ready, man, because I think we really elevated.” When prompted by the possibility of fans seeing Season 2 by the summer of 2026, Pratt jokes, “Listen, your lips to God’s ears.” While we wait for Season 2, Pratt and Kali Reis (True Detective) are teaming up for Amazon MGM Studios’ Mercy, reuniting Pratt with director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted), in this propulsive feature that pits man again A.I. in order to solve a crime in the nick of time — and this case is life or death. In the movie, Pratt plays Detective Christopher Raven, who’s been accused of murdering his wife, and must now stand trial against an A.I.-powered program he helped create. The program gives the accused 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the A.I. Judge Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson), using numerous resources, including surveillance and phone footage. If Raven can’t solve this crime before his time runs out, he’ll be sentenced to execution. In this interview, Weintaub talks with Pratt and Reis about their favorite films from some of Hollywood’s most influential filmmakers, as well as A.I., making “screenlife” movies with the master, Bekmambetov, and the consequences of society’s reliance on technology. Reis also reveals details about Zach Cregger’s upcoming Resident Evil movie. Check out what they had to say in the video above or you can read the conversation below.
18 Years Later, ‘Mercy’ Reunites Chris Pratt With ‘Wanted’s Timur Bekmambetov

“Working with him now, it was a very humbling reminder.”

A medium shot of Angelina Jolie looking at the camera while leaning against a wall in WantedImage via Universal Pictures

COLLIDER: So I’ve got to start with the most important question. Hollywood has produced all these movies, from Jurassic Park to Terminator to Mercy, showing humans are pushing into technology and science and not really thinking about the repercussions. Why does no one in the real world seem to learn from all these movies that have been made? CHRIS PRATT: It’s a great question. You want to be able to learn from sci-fi. Sci-fi does a great job when it poses those questions of “what if…?” and we are right on the precipice of “what if…?” So, probably, I think the main common denominator is that humans are dumb. KALI REIS: [Laughs] I’ll ride off of that. What he said. I can’t deny what you’re saying because we have a track record of not being the smartest people. So, Chris, this is an individual question for you. Many years ago, you worked with Timur Bekmambetov on Wanted. I’m just curious, what is it like going from, like, number 72 on the call sheet to now being the number one on the call sheet? PRATT: It felt wonderful. I was really green when I was doing Wanted. It was very early in my career. I’m learning on every job, but I had a whole lot to learn back then. And like you mentioned, I was very low on the totem pole. I was just trying to get in the movie, and I was just trying to do scenes that would make the movie. It was a lot of improv and a lot of fun. Also, Timur did not speak English as well back then as he does now, and so the communication was a little different. But now, all these years later, to be not only an actor but also a collaborator in the creative storytelling process, more so than I was back then, having notes on the script, asking questions, having more agency that comes with experience, it felt really nice. There’s only a handful of moments I could picture and point to in my career where I’ve been able to sort of sit back and examine how far I’ve come. To go back 17 or 18 years ago, working with him, to working with him now, it was a very humbling reminder.
Chris Pratt and Kali Reis Share Some of Their Favorite Movies

The pair pick their favorite Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, and Stanley Kubrick films.

Leonard Shelby, played by actor Guy Pearce, sits starkly shadowed in crisp black and white in Memento.Image via Newmarket Films

For both of you, I’ve been asking these three questions to everyone I’ve been interviewing the last few months. Do you have a favorite Christopher Nolan movie? REIS: Do I? No. PRATT: I’d say I really like Inception. I think Inception is fantastic. REIS: Going through my Rolodex, I can’t pick one. PRATT: The Dark Knight or Interstellar. Did he do Memento? He did Memento. PRATT: There’s a little bit of Memento in Mercy, don’t you think? As this guy’s kind of figuring out who the hell he is, there’s a little bit of that I picture. That’s a really great movie, too. The next question is, do you have a favorite Steven Spielberg movie? REIS: God, you’re just throwing them at us, aren’t you? PRATT: Jurassic Park. REIS: I mean, Jurassic Park was good, for sure. I’m just going to copy you every answer because I can’t think. There are so many, dood lord.

Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard angry at each other in Jurassic WorldImage via Universal Pictures 

And the last one, and this is usually the tougher one, so I apologize, do you have a favorite Stanley Kubrick movie? REIS: I mean, there’s a lot. The Shining. PRATT: 2001, maybe, or The Shining. I think The Shining is pretty spectacular. I’m not a huge Kubrick fan. [Laughs] I like how you whispered that. PRATT: I mean, he’s amazing, obviously, but I would say The Shining. But it’s tough to pick because. All three of these filmmakers I mentioned are phenomenal filmmakers, and it’s a question with no right answer. I’ve heard them all. Everyone’s said everything.
‘Mercy’ Earns Its “Screenlife” Storytelling Methods

“It would be realistic that his entire interaction with the outside world would be through technology.”

Timur has been doing this for the last few years, especially producing them, making a screenlife movie, which is essentially using technology to help tell the story. It’s definitely a different way of telling a story compared to a lot of other films. Can you both talk about what it’s like as an actor making a film like this where technology is really a prevalent part of every aspect of this film? REIS: It was a reminder of how much technology is really around us every day. We know that, especially being on our phones all the time, but it’s in everything. How quickly we are so submerged in so much information, it just was a reminder. And also how helpful, how useful it can be, and also how it could probably backfire a little bit. Too much of one thing could be not that great. It was also a constant reminder to monitor the type of technology, because it also is the type of technology that you use. I mean, I work out all the time; there’s technology in the treadmills we use and count calories, etc. It just kind of made me more mindful of what kind of technology you get submerged into. PRATT: For me, in terms of the process of a film and the screenlife film, if you call it a genre, if you will, Timur’s film profile, I thought, was a really great example of that. There have been other examples of that, where there are certain limitations that come with a screenlife film. What I thought was great about Mercy was it’s justified because essentially the Mercy courtroom is the location for the entire journey for this protagonist, and so it would be realistic that his entire interaction with the outside world would be through technology.

I think finding the right story to tell in a screenlife genre is the key to the success of a screenlife film, because there are some films that are screenlife films, but then you think, “Well, that was just because they wanted to shoot the whole thing on iPhones or on DoorBird cameras,” or something like that. But actually, this, to me, is probably the best version of a screenlife film you’re going to get in a really long time because it’s still very much a big blockbuster kind of a movie, and every bit of use of screenlife is totally justified through the story. There’s no other way to tell this story. REIS: Yeah, Timur’s kind of a master at doing that. He is. He spent a lot of time over the last few years perfecting this.

Related

Learn To Make “Screenlife” Movies With Director Timur Bekmambetov’s New Book [Exclusive]

Bekmambetov is behind the hit horror movies ‘Unfriended,’ ‘Searching,’ and ‘Missing.’

‘The Terminal List’ Season 2 Might Be Here Sooner Than You Think

Reis also shares exciting details from Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil.

Chris Pratt for Terminal List Season 2 Image by Jefferson Chacon 

This is my last question. It’s an individual for each of you. Chris, you know I’m a fan of The Terminal List. When do I get to see The Terminal List Season 2? And Kali, I am a big fan of Zach Cregger, and I know you’re in Resident Evil. One of the things about Zach’s work that I love is the way he moves camera. He’s so meticulous about the camera moves, if you look at Weapons or Barbarian. What can you tease about Resident Evil, and especially the way the camera is going to work? REIS: Zach is a master. He knows exactly what he wants. He has a clear vision. He’s very clear on what he wants from the cameras, from the actors, from the atmosphere, from everything. And he’s a pleasure to work with. I will say, being a Resident Evil fan and being a gamer since the first one, he took a crack at another origin story, and — I obviously haven’t even seen it, but I’ve been involved in it — the script is amazing. You’re going to be very pleased. But his camera work puts the cherry on top of the story that he’s telling with this, especially in this genre of a video-game-turned-movie, and movies that have already been done. I think you’re going to be very pleased. PRATT: And my question, I would say thank you. You’ve always been a very vocal supporter of The Terminal List and the whole Terminal List/Jack Carr cinematic universe that we’ve been building out, but I’m not at liberty to disclose the release date of Terminal Season 2. But I can tell you, we’re deep in edits. We’re through the first six of eight episodes, and it is truly remarkable. I cannot wait for fans of the show to see it, for fans of the second book, True Believer, to see the book fully done on the screen. Get yourself ready, man, because I think we really elevated. I’m excited for people to see it. I’ve gotta wrap. I’m just going to say, if you’re done with six of eight, I’m going to predict this summer. That’s just my opinion. PRATT: Listen, your lips to God’s ears. I’ll tell you this: When we release, I will contact you, and you’ve got to be the first one to release it, okay? Mercy is now playing in theaters and IMAX.

Release Date

January 23, 2026

Runtime

100 Minutes

Director

Timur Bekmambetov

Writers

Marco van Belle

Producers

Charles Roven, Majd Nassif, Timur Bekmambetov, Robert Amidon