Chris Pratt stars as Chris Raven in ‘Mercy.’ (Justin Lubin)
Chris Pratt is a police officer on trial before an AI judge in the new film Mercy.
The film, which was directed by Timur Bekmambetov, arrives in theaters on Friday.
Rebecca Ferguson co-stars as Judge Maddox, an AI being in a future dystopia tasked with determining whether Officer Raven (Pratt) killed his wife or if he is innocent. Judge Maddox has a little over an hour to make the decision, and if Raven is found guilty, he dies instantly.
Ferguson told ABC Audio about how she approached playing an AI character.
“I think it was quite good to keep her as automated as possible — as simple as possible — and then work within where the cracks lay in the foundation,” Ferguson said. “AI is supposed to copy human beings. And that was an interesting aspect of it for me.”
Ferguson said that her character has sentenced many people before Raven, but saw something different in him.
“Rather than going into victimization of himself, he was starting to see the flaws within her. So he was starting to question her behaviorism. He was seeing something that she wasn’t prepared for,” Ferguson said.
Pratt said he believes there is a part of Raven that thinks he may have actually committed the crime. This, he says, helps Judge Maddox develop intuition.
AI beings “are not intuitive, they’re just mimicking human behavior,” Pratt said.
“She’s starting to understand that she’s becoming a little bit more sentient, and a little bit more aware and a bit more human, but also is protecting herself from being reset,” Pratt continued. “She’s actually fighting, in a way, for her own life, so that her agency in this thing that she’s developed and who she’s become can be preserved.”
Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams attend the premiere of ‘Heated Rivalry’ at TIFF Lightbox on Nov. 24, 2025, in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Harold Feng/Getty Images)
Heated Rivalry is heading to the Olympics.
Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams, who play hockey rivals to lovers Ilya Rozanov and Shane Hollander on the hit series, will be among the torchbearers for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.
The Olympic torch relay begins in Greece, where the first Olympics took place, and makes its way to the host city. The torch is currently in Trieste, Italy, and will visit 13 more cities in the country before the opening ceremony in Milan on Feb. 6.
No word yet on where or when Storrie and Williams will be picking up the torch.
In the show’s second episode, titled “Olympians,” their characters compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Season 1 of the steamy romance is available on HBO Max in the U.S., and the show has already scored a season 2 renewal.
Darth Maul takes center stage in the upcoming animated series Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord.
Disney has announced that the new show will premiere on Disney+ on April 6. The teaser trailer and poster for the series also debuted on Thursday.
The show is set after the events of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and follows Maul as he plots to rebuild “his criminal syndicate on a planet untouched by the Empire,” according to an official synopsis. “There, he crosses paths with a disillusioned young Jedi Padawan who could be the apprentice he is seeking to aid him in his relentless pursuit for revenge.”
Two episodes will premiere every week, with the final two episodes debuting on, what else, May the 4th — Star Wars Day.
“We have all been made to suffer,” Maul says in the teaser trailer. “We survive but do not live.”
Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord was created by Dave Filoni, who recently took on the role of president and chief creative officer of Lucasfilm after Kathleen Kennedy stepped down in January 2026. It is based on characters created by George Lucas.
Sam Witwer leads the voice cast as Maul. Newly minted Oscar nominee Wagner Moura also stars as Brander Lawson. The rest of the voice cast includes Gideon Adlon as Devon Izara, Richard Ayoade as Two-Boots, Dennis Haysbert as Master Eeko-Dio-Daki, Chris Diamantopoulos as Looti Vario, Charlie Bushnell as Rylee Lawson, Vanessa Marshall as Rook Kast, David C. Collins as Spybot, A.J. LoCascio as Marrok and SteveBlum as Icarus.
Teyana Taylor at the Disney Advertising Upfront (Disney/Jose Alvarado)
Golden Globe winner Teyana Taylor has another chance to win a major award for her role in One Battle After Another. She’s been nominated for an Oscar in the category of best supporting actress.
“I fell asleep last night watching Pretty Woman, thinking about happy endings and how impossible they sometimes feel … and I woke up realizing I’ve been living in one that God has been preparing me for my own fairytale ending,” Teyana said in a statement, reacting to her first-ever Oscar nod.
“To be an Academy Award nominee is beyond anything I ever allowed myself to fully believe was possible. I am so deeply emotional, so humbled, and so grateful for every person who has walked this road with me & honored to be nominated alongside these amazing women in my category,” she continued.
Teyana is up against Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, who are nominated for their work in Sentimental Value; Amy Madigan for her role in Weapons; and Wunmi Mosaku for Sinners.
Teyana said the nod is a “gentle reminder that dreams really do survive,” as her “career has been filled with battles, doubts, and moments of deep uncertainty.”
“It has felt like one long fight for space, for respect, and for opportunity. … Today feels like a soft, beautiful ‘yes’ from the universe,” Teyana said. “And as I always say … the wait was not punishment, it was preparation for what was already written.”
She also thanked director “Paul ‘Let Him Cook’ Thomas Anderson.”
“I am emotional. I am humbled,” Teyana said. “My heart is full. My life is forever changed, and I give all glory to God.”
One Battle After Another is up for best picture and best casting, among other categories.
Roboto (Kristen Wiig), Man At Arms (Idris Elba), Adam (Nicholas Galitzine), Teela (Camila Mendes) and Cringer in ‘Masters of the Universe.’ (Amazon MGM Studios)
The teaser trailer for Masters of the Universe has arrived.
Amazon MGM Studios released the first trailer for the upcoming live-action film based on Mattel’s franchise of the same name on Thursday.
Travis Knight directs the movie, which stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man and Camila Mendes as Teela. It arrives in theaters on June 5.
The trailer finds Galitzine’s He-Man away from his home world and living on Earth, known by the name Adam Glenn.
“All that stuff that only exists in legends and bedtime stories — talking tigers, spaceships and magic swords that can make a man as mighty as a god — where I come from, that stuff is real,” He-Man says in a voice-over.
Galitzine posted the trailer to his Instagram, captioning it, “Discover your true POWER! Masters of the Universe is out in theaters only, June 5th.”
The actor previously shared the first look at his He-Man transformation in June 2025, when he confirmed that production on the film had ended.
“Well, that’s a wrap on Masters of the Universe. It has been an honour shouldering the responsibility of playing Adam and He Man,” Galitzine wrote at the time. “It’s been the role of a lifetime and I put everything into it. There’s not much I can show you, but I am so proud of the movie we’ve made. Thanks to our amazing cast and crew for all your hard work.”
The Masters of the Universe cast is rounded out by Morena Baccarin, James Purefoy, Alison Brie, Charlotte Riley, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, Jared Leto, Idris Elba, Sam C. Wilson, HafthorBjornsson, Kojo Attah, Sasheer Zamata, Jon Xue Zhang and Christian Vunipola.
Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Martin Short in ‘Only Murders in the Building.” (Disney/Patrick Harbron)
Only Murders in the Building star Martin Short nearly ruined co-star Selena Gomez’s wedding with music producer Benny Blanco last September when he almost sliced a piece of the wedding cake, in an act of faux pas.
Short made an appearance Wednesday on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, telling host Jimmy Kimmel that as he was sitting with a group of the Only Murders cast, he noticed a small cake by their section.
“I just assumed there was a wedding cake for each section in the back. So, after a few hours, they haven’t cut their wedding cake yet, Steve [Martin] said he’s gonna leave,” Short says.
“I said, ‘Steve, you can’t leave yet without a piece of wedding cake!’ and I cut the wedding cake one side, cut it the other, and then all the people in our group screamed, ‘Marty!’ It was the wedding cake. I tried to fix it with a fork,” says Short.
Kimmel showed a photo of the accidentally cut cake. However, the cake was repaired by the couple’s wedding coordinator and chef. While Short and Martin tried to keep it a secret so as not to ruin Gomez’s night, Gomez had the last laugh.
“I kept saying, ‘No, guys, we can’t let Selena know,’” Short said. “And Steve said, ‘Yeah, maybe we tell her in a month or something.’ And then as I was leaving, Selena came by [and said], ‘Hey Marty, I heard you tried to eat my cake.’”
Despite the mishap, Short was just happy to celebrate Gomez and Blanco’s wedding.
“You know, Selena is like an extra child of mine. I adore her so much,” says Short. “And she found this guy, and he’s the greatest guy, and they have the greatest hang, and they’re wildly in love.”
The Oscar for best picture is awarded to ‘Anora,’ and accepted by Alex Coco, Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Samantha Quan, Sean Baker and Yuriy Borisov during the 97th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 2, 2025. (Kyusung Gong/The Academy)
The 2026 Oscars race heated up Thursday as nominations were announced.
The academy confirmed several expected front-runners across all 24 categories while rattling expectations by excluding others.
With a deep field of acclaimed films this year, ABC News’ Chris Connelly and Kelley Carter broke down the biggest snubs and surprises of the 2026 Oscar nominations.
Perhaps the biggest surprise from the nomination ceremony was the scale of success for Ryan Coogler‘s Sinners, a project that was expected to perform well on Thursday morning. The film, which stars Michael B.Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Delroy Lindo and more, pulled in a whopping 16 total nominations on Thursday morning.
“I think it surprised us that it got even more than we thought it was going to,” Carter said.
Connelly called the slate of nominations “a dominating performance,” noting Coogler’s nominations as writer, director and producer.
“What a vindication for every risk he took to make this movie,” Connelly said. “It triumphed on every level, box office and now with Oscar nominations. An amazing morning for that movie and for Ryan Coogler, who deserves it.”
While Chloé Zhao‘s Hamnet also took in its fair share of nominations, including best picture and best actress, one notable name from the film was left off the nominations list.
“For me, Hamnet — I was really happy to hear all the nominations that it got, even though you missed out on the Paul Mescal nomination,” Carter said. “I think that he probably should have been in there. But I feel like Jessie Buckley really drove this story, and rightly so, hearing her name called.”
Connelly also reacted to Joachim Trier‘s success with the drama Sentimental Value.
“I was really impressed with the number of acting nominations that Sentimental Value got,” Connelly said. “It’s a beautifully done movie … it was overlooked by a previous award show, but it’s no doubt that for an international body like the voters for the Oscars, a lot of people loved it. I see Stellan Skarsgård as a likely winner in [the best supporting actor] category.”
Notable names left off the list of Oscar nominations this year included Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande for their roles in Wicked: For Good and Adam Sandler for his role in Jay Kelly opposite George Clooney, who was also left off the nominations list.
Actors Jacob Elordi, Lindo and the film F1 all scored notable nominations, as well as songwriter DianeWarren, who earned her 17th nod for best original song.
The 98th annual Academy Awards, airing March 15 on ABC. (The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences)
Nomination day has arrived for the 2026 Oscars.
The nominees in all categories for the 98th Academy Awards were revealed Thursday morning in a live presentation from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles.
Oscar-nominated actress Danielle Brooks and actor Lewis Pullman announced the nominations, which includes this year’s newest category: casting.
The 2026 Oscars will air on Sunday, March 15, at 7 p.m. ET on ABC.
Here’s a list of the nominees:
Best picture Bugonia F1 Frankenstein Hamnet Marty Supreme One Battle After Another The Secret Agent Sentimental Value Sinners Train Dreams
Best director Chloé Zhao, Hamnet Josh Safdie, Marty Supreme Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value Ryan Coogler, Sinners
Best actor Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon Michael B. Jordan, Sinners Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent
Best actress Jessie Buckley, Hamnet Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value Emma Stone, Bugonia
Best supporting actress Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value Amy Madigan, Weapons Wunmi Mosaku, Sinners Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another
Best supporting actor Benicio Del Toro, One Battle After Another Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein Delroy Lindo, Sinners Sean Penn, One Battle After Another Stellan Skarsgård, Sentimental Value
Best original score Bugonia, Jerskin Fendrix Frankenstein, Alexandre Desplat Hamnet, Max Richter One Battle After Another, Jonny Greenwood Sinners, Ludwig Göransson
Best live action short film Butcher’s Stain Jane Austen’s Period Drama A Friend of Dorothy The Singers Two People Exchanging Saliva
Best adapted screenplay Bugonia, Will Tracy Frankenstein, Guillermo Del Toro Hamnet, Maggie O’Farrell and Chloé Zhao One Battle After Another, Paul Thomas Anderson Train Dreams, Clint Bentley and Greg Kwedar
Best original screenplay Blue Moon, Robert Kaplow It Was Just an Accident, Jafar Panahi Marty Supreme, Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie Sentimental Value, Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt Sinners, Ryan Coogler
Best animated short film Butterfly Forevergreen The Girl Who Cried Pearls Retirement Plan The Three Sisters
Best animated feature film Arco Elio KPop Demon Hunters Little Amélie or the Character of Rain Zootopia 2
Best casting Hamnet, Nina Gold Marty Supreme, Jennifer Venditti One Battle After Another, Cassandra Kulukundis The Secret Agent, Gabriel Domingues Sinners, Francine Maisler
Best original song “Dear Me” from Diane Warren: Relentless “Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters “I Lied to You” from Sinners “Sweet Dreams of Joy” from Viva Verdi! “Train Dreams” from Train Dreams
Best documentary feature film The Alabama Solution Come See Me in the Good Light Cutting Through Rocks Mr. Nobody Against Putin The Perfect Neighbor
Best documentary short film All Empty Rooms Armed Only with a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud Children No More: Were and Are Gone The Devil is Busy Perfectly a Strangeness
Best international feature film Brazil, The Secret Agent France, It Was Just an Accident Norway, Sentimental Value Spain, Sirât Tunisia, The Voice of Hind Rajab
Best film editing F1, Stephen Mirrione Marty Supreme, Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie One Battle After Another, Andy Jurgensen Sentimental Value, Olivier Bugge Sinners, Michael P. Shawver
Best sound F1 Frankenstein One Battle After Another Sinners Sirāt
Best visual effects Avatar: Fire and Ash F1 Jurassic World Rebirth The Lost Bus Sinners
Best cinematography Frankenstein Marty Supreme One Battle After Another Sinners Train Dreams
Best makeup and hairstyling Frankenstein Kokuho Sinners The Smashing Machine The Ugly Stepsister
Best costume design Deborah L. Scott, Avatar: Fire and Ash Kate Hawley, Frankenstein Malgosia Turzanska, Hamnet Miyako Bellizzi, Marty Supreme Ruth E. Carter, Sinners
Best production design Frankenstein Hamnet Marty Supreme One Battle After Another Sinners
The official trailer for season 3 of The Night Agent has arrived. Netflix has released the new trailer for the upcoming season of the show, which debuts to the streaming service on Feb. 19. Gabriel Basso once again stars as Peter Sutherland in season 3, which follows the explosive events in season 2. It finds Peter tracking down a young treasury agent who fled after killing their boss …
Apple TV has shared its first look at the upcoming fifth season of For All Mankind. In addition to a teaser trailer and first-look photos, the streamer has announced that season 5 will premiere on March 27. A new episode will debut every Friday through May 29 …
Steven Soderbergh‘s latest film has gotten a theatrical release date. NEON is set to release Soderbergh’s new movie The Christophers in limited release on April 10. A nationwide rollout of the film will follow the initial limited New York and Los Angeles debut. Michaela Coel, Ian McKellen, Jessica Gunning and James Corden star in the movie about the estranged relatives of a famous artist who enlist a struggling artist to steal and complete the famous artist’s unfinished pieces …
Idris Elba in ‘Hijack’ season 2 (Courtesy of Apple TV)
More episodes of Hijack season 2 are now streaming on Apple TV, with Idris Elba returning as professional negotiator Sam Nelson. After surviving a plane hijacking in season 1, Sam ends the season 2 premiere with a plot twist no one saw coming: He is now the mastermind behind the takeover of a subway station in Berlin.
In order to portray this role reversal, Elba said he spoke with the creative team about why the series should return and how Sam had changed since the first season. “[We talked] about why are we coming back and what do we want to see and what would he have had to have gone through to get to the season,” he explained in a recent press conference. “Once we had gotten that, there was a lot of discussion around sort of physically what he might look like.”
To bring that to life, Elba said he explored trauma and its aftermath, especially how men process extreme experiences, adding he was mindful of the unexplored “residue effects” that were left over from season 1.
The result is a version of Sam who shows moments of vulnerability throughout the new season.
Though the stakes have flipped, Elba said his character remains compelling because of his humanity. “He isn’t built to be like the gun-twirling kung fu master guy,” he explained. “He’s sort of using a very cerebral approach, he is thinking on his toes and he has a lot of courage.”
Audiences, he said, “don’t mind seeing someone just rumble and bumble their way through, making sense as they go along.”
