After Rebecca Ferguson's captivating portrayal of Lady Jessica, Paul Atreides' Bene Gesserit mother, in Dune: Part Two, audiences in North America are starting to take note of her immense talent.
Previously, the Swedish actress gained a bit of notoriety for her role as MI6 operative Ilsa Faust in the Tom Cruise-led Mission: Impossible film series with appearances in Rogue Nation (2015), Fallout (2018), and Dead Reckoning Part One (2023).
Now, it seems Ferguson is destined to soar to new heights due to her scene-stealing performance in Dune: Part Two which is already generating buzz for next year's award season.
Amazon wisely signed Ferguson to co-star in the forthcoming science fiction thriller Mercy with Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Jurassic World Dominion) while she's poised for what looks to be a significant increase in her Hollywood stock.
With a futuristic setting, Mercy will see Pratt portray a detective who is accused of a violent crime and forced to prove his innocence. Not much else is known about the film but it seems artificial intelligence will play a critical role in the film. Per Deadline, the Marco van Belle (Arthur & Merlin) written pic has a big sci-fi slant. Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted) is directing.
There are no details on who Ferguson is portraying but Deadline notes that Amazon has high expectations for the film and will give the feature a theatrical release before it hits Prime Video.
Production on Mercy is expected to begin this Spring.
In a previously released press statement, Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios remarked, "From the moment Chuck Roven brought us Mercy and we read Marco van Belle’s script, we knew the film was meant for the big screen."
She added, “As our relationship with The Terminal List and The Tomorrow War’s Chris Pratt continues to extend across film, we can’t wait to watch him bring this action-packed story to life, guided by Chuck and the vision of director Timur Bekmambetov. We could not imagine a better star and filmmaking team to execute on and deliver what is sure to be a gripping thrill ride and look forward to audiences being able to experience it in theaters.”
Charles Roven (The Dark Knight Rises trilogy, Oppenheimer) is producing the film and added, "I could not be more thrilled to partner with Amazon MGM Studios on the release of Mercy. I have a longstanding working relationship with both motion picture and marketing chiefs Courtenay Valenti and Sue Kroll— whom have institutional knowledge of theatrical and proven track records of success at the box office. I am looking forward to reuniting with them in this new capacity, along with Jen Salke and the rest of the terrific team at Amazon MGM."