Chris Pratt, Rebecca Ferguson on humans playing AI in ‘Mercy’
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.”
: Actor Chuck Norris arrives at Lionsgate Films’ ‘The Expendables 2’ premiere on August 15, 2012 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)
Actor Chuck Norris, the martial artist known for a string of hit action movies and the series Walker, Texas Ranger, has died, according to his family. He was 86.
“It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning,” Norris’ family said Friday in a statement shared on his Instagram page. “While we would like to keep the circumstances private, please know that he was surrounded by his family and was at peace.”
The family said Norris was “a devoted husband, a loving father and grandfather, an incredible brother, and the heart of our family.”
“While our hearts are broken, we are deeply grateful for the life he lived and for the unforgettable moments we were blessed to share with him,” the family statement continued. “The love and support he received from fans around the world meant so much to him, and our family is truly thankful for it. To him, you were not just fans, you were his friends.”
Norris’ family said the actor had been recently hospitalized but did not share further details on his condition.
The actor turned 86 on March 10, just days before his death. He shared a video of himself boxing on his birthday, saying in the video, “I don’t age. I level up.”
Norris, born Carlos Ray Norris, was born in Oklahoma but spent much of his childhood in California. He learned karate while serving in the U.S. Air Force in South Korea, with the hopes of becoming a police officer after his service, he told The New York Times in a 1985 interview.
When he returned to Southern California after his military service, he instead opened a chain of karate schools.
It was through teaching karate that Norris was introduced to acting when he instructed the late Steve McQueen and McQueen’s son, he told the Times.
“He told me that I should think about projecting a presence, and never do a part that had a lot of dialogue,” Norris said of McQueen’s advice. “He told me, ‘Movies are visual, and when you try to verbalize something, you’re going to lose the audience.’ He said to let the character actors lay out the plot, and that when there were important things to say, you say it, and people will remember.”
From that fateful meeting with McQueen, Norris went on to have an acting career that spanned several decades and featured starring roles in blockbuster action movies including The Way of the Dragon, Lone Wolf McQuade, Missing in Action, The Delta Force and Invasion U.S.A.
In the 1990s, Norris became a television star with the series Walker, Texas Ranger, which he both starred in and executive produced.
In addition to acting, Norris was an author, including of his 2004 autobiography, Against All Odds: My Story.
Offscreen, Norris also entered the political arena, endorsing and campaigning for several conservative candidates over the years.
In his later years, Norris reached unexpected online fame when jokes known as “Chuck Norris Facts” went viral online, touting Norris’ seeming invincibility with lines like, “Chuck Norris doesn’t sleep. He waits.”
Norris revealed his personal favorite in 2008, telling Extra, “My favorite is that they wanted to put Chuck Norris on Mount Rushmore, but the granite wasn’t tough enough for his beard.”
Norris capitalized on his online fame, growing a social media following of nearly 3 million followers on Instagram, where he continued to post everything from his workouts to life advice until the time of his death.
Norris is survived by his wife of nearly 30 years, Gena O’Kelly, with whom he shared two children, twins Dakota Norris and Danilee Norris.
Norris is also survived by three other adult children, two sons, Eric Norris and Mike Norris, and a daughter, Dina Norris.
Mckenna Grace attends The 2026 WWD Style Awards presented by Women’s Wear Daily at Regent Santa Monica Beach on Jan. 9, 2026, in Santa Monica, California. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Mckenna Grace is hitching a ride on the Mystery Machine.
The actress has joined the cast of the upcoming Netflix live-action Scooby-Doo series in the role of Daphne. Grace shared the news on Instagram Tuesday.
“Oh my jeepers,” Grace captioned her post. “I can’t believe life is real I could cry all over again just looking at this announcement. So thankful, SO excited.”
Along with a screenshot of Deadline‘s article about the casting announcement, Grace posted a photo of herself as a young child wearing a Daphne costume, presumably for Halloween. The photo finds Grace sitting in a car seat while wearing Daphne’s signature purple ensemble, a bright orange wig and flashing a peace sign to the camera.
According to the outlet, the currently untitled series will function as an origin story for the Scooby-Doo gang, showing “how the Mystery Inc. group got together and first teamed up to crack the haunting case that started it all.”
Deadline reports it will follow old friends Shaggy and Daphne, who get involved in a haunting mystery regarding a lost Great Dane puppy during their final summer at camp. They team up with Velma and Freddy as they set out to solve the case of the puppy that was a witness to a supernatural murder.
Pedro Pascal as The Mandalorian with Grogu in ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.’ (Lucasfilm)
The force will be with Star Wars fans this May 4.
Lucasfilm is set to host special-look fan events for its upcoming film Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu. All of the special events will take place on May the 4th, also known as Star Wars Day, at select IMAX theaters around the world.
The events will feature over 25 minutes of exclusive footage from the upcoming movie, fan giveaways and other surprises. One of the giveaways will be a brand-new, exclusive poster created just for this event.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu is based on the Disney+ TV series The Mandalorian starring Pedro Pascal. Jon Favreau directed the movie, which stars Pascal alongside Sigourney Weaver and Jeremy Allen White.
“The evil Empire has fallen, and Imperial warlords remain scattered throughout the galaxy. As the fledgling New Republic works to protect everything the Rebellion fought for, they have enlisted the help of legendary Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pascal) and his young apprentice Grogu,” according to the film’s official description.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu opens in theaters on May 22.
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