Michael B. Jordan’s Next Directorial Effort Is a Remake of This Classic Crime Thriller With His Own Spin

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Michael B. Jordan smiling in sunglasses on the red carpet.

Published Jan 24, 2026, 9:00 AM EST

Summary

Collider's Steve Weintraub talks with producer Charles Roven for Amazon MGM Studios' Mercy.
In this interview, Roven discusses the future of the movie industry and why Chris Pratt's Mercy is ahead of the A.I. thrillers.
He also reveals details and an update for Jake Gyllenhaal's Road House sequel and Michael B. Jordan's next film as director, The Thomas Crown Affair.

Producer Charles Roven has an eye for success. From early in his career, he's had a knack for spotting talented directors and scripts that captivate audiences. He works closely with filmmaking luminary Christopher Nolan and played a major hand in Nolan's most recent film, Oppenheimer, which swept the 2024 Academy Awards. Now, his focus is on Amazon MGM Studios' upcoming sci-fi thriller, Mercy, starring Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Rebecca Ferguson (Dune), with his production company, Atlas Entertainment, and on the future slate of pictures he has in development. In his own words, Roven admits, "I do have a very robust pipeline."

First up on that roster is Mercy, a "screenlife" feature (think 2015's Unfriended), from director Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted), that takes place in the very near future, presenting a pointed message about the growing presence of A.I. The movie follows Los Angeles police detective Christopher Raven (Pratt), who wakes up in the Mercy Chair, where he stands before an A.I. judge, jury, and executioner, Judge Maddox (Ferguson), for the alleged murder of his wife (Annabelle Wallis). Now, Raven has only 90 minutes and unlimited access to camera footage on the internet to prove his innocence before he's executed instantly. Mercy also stars Kali Reis (True Detective), Kylie Rogers (Yellowstone), and Chris Sullivan (This Is Us).

In this interview with Collider's Steve Weintraub, which can be read below, Roven discusses the state of the movie industry post-COVID and post-strikes, and why he isn't worried about the future of movie theaters. He also shares why Bekmambetov's screenlife thriller is a feature he was excited to be a part of, and how it compares to movies like 12 Angry Men and Witness for the Prosecution. Roven also gives us a sneak peak into 2026 and beyond, sharing updates and details for Jake Gyllenhaal's Road House 2 and Michael B. Jordan's sophomore film as director, The Thomas Crown Affair.

Charles Roven Doesn’t Believe Streaming Poses a Threat to Movie Theaters

“I've been around long enough to hear about the death knell of movie theaters when videotapes came out and DVDs came out.”

Elizabeth-taylor as Cleopatra looking intently

COLLIDER: What do you think would actually surprise people to learn about being a producer in Hollywood?

CHARLES ROVEN: One of the great things that keeps me motivated about continuing to produce for all of these years is that every project is made up differently, so it's not cookie-cutter. You can't just go, “Oh, I can make this movie this way, and I can make the next one exactly like it,” because you can't. Because even if there are similarities to some extent in the creative, the people who are working on the movie are fresh, and the ideas for the movie are different and fresh. So what I love about it is that it constantly keeps you motivated to figure things out. It's very interesting.

There's been a lot of debate in terms of the movie industry and movie theaters, and whether they will survive. How do you view the health of the movie industry and the health of movie theaters? I think they're always going to survive. I just think that it's becoming more and more event pictures, and smaller movies are going to have a really tough time.

ROVEN: This reminds me of when I first got into the business, literally first got into the business, I think I was putting together my very first movie, so it was in the late ‘70s, but maybe it was even earlier than that. The big studios had made some really big blockbusters that failed, like Cleopatra, the one with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. It didn't do any business. And then they reached out, and they started making movies like Easy Rider, Five Easy Pieces. Now, those were small movies, but they did revitalize the theatrical movie business after the bombs, right?

Then, of course, I've been around long enough to hear about the death knell of movie theaters when videotapes came out and DVDs came out. Obviously, streaming has had its share, and when you combine streaming with COVID and strikes, that's not a good thing for any business, and particularly not a good thing for the theatrical business when you need people to go to the movies, but you can't get your content out there. So, there are challenges. But I do believe, and the most important thing that I believe, is the group experience, and you can only have the group experience of a motion picture in a big-screen motion picture theater. I'm also hoping that this movie will show that, as well, because I think it's a pretty exciting movie. I'm hoping that people will want to go experience it on a big screen.

That's not to say I don't think that there are movies or TV series that aren't right for streaming, because, obviously, I don't think streaming is going away. The ones who should really be scared of streaming, to me, are the TV networks.

I agree, streaming is not going away. And I agree, there's nothing like seeing a movie in a movie theater. Everyone says it, but it's really true. That communal experience.

‘Mercy’ Taps Into the Courtroom Suspense of ‘12 Angry Men’

Roven says they captured the A.I. wave just as it “exploded.”

Jumping into Mercy, what was it about this project that excited you as a producer that said, “I need to be involved in this?”

ROVEN: The idea that we were going to feel like we're a part of our future. This is what is going to happen, potentially. When we started to develop the project, people were talking about A.I., but it wasn't on everybody's subject matter like it is now. Then, all of a sudden, once we started to shoot the movie, it just exploded into everything, and so that made me feel like we were kind of right on top of the wave.

Can you talk a little bit about the fact that you're number one and you're number two on the call sheet were essentially in a room talking to one another for the majority of the movie? Obviously, Chris goes out and does things in the picture, but a lot of the time, he's sitting in a chair and talking. So as a producer, were you like, “Can we hold the audience's attention for this whole thing?” Were you nervous about that, or were you like, “This is just an exciting thing to overcome?”

ROVEN: I'll give you an answer that has a couple of parts to it. The first thing is the experience of showing the movie in this methodology, where you’ve actually got a lot of elements on different screens coming at you. If you're looking at the movie from Chris's point of view, which you are for a lot of the time, that's a pretty unique thing. You don't see that in a lot of movies. Many of those screens have happened in the past, but there's still a lot of movement, right? The death of his first partner, as an example, and him chasing the people, that's all on these multiple screens that are coming at you, even though he's sitting in the chair and reviewing it, revisiting it. So, you get the action as it's happening, but you also get those emotions that he's going through visiting it again. That's a rather unique kind of idea, so that's the big picture for me.

I think audiences are really going to enjoy this screenlife blown up, if you will, with these multiple screens that are coming at you as a viewer. Second thing is, if the performances are good, and I happen to believe that Chris and Rebecca's performances, and actually everybody who's in the movie, are extremely good, you're going to be compelled. Don't forget, there have been some great trial movies where people are sitting in a trial or in a room where there are 12 jurors, and that's what almost the whole movie's about. Remember 12 Angry Men, or Witness to a Prosecution. Those movies are basically a lot stationary, and they got a big audience.

Completely. I think that this is one of those projects where screenlife really works. It really adds to it.

ROVEN: It elevates it, right? Did you see it in 3D?

I saw it in IMAX 3D last night.

ROVEN: To me, when I first saw those images in 3D coming at me, my mind was blown.

‘Road House 2’ Will Be “More Emotional”

Jake Gyllenhaal as Elwood Dalton on a character poster for Road House.

I was a big fan of the first Road House, and I know that you guys are making a sequel. What do you want to tell people about the sequel, besides that Jake [Gyllenhaal] is going to punch the shit out of people?

ROVEN: I think what's going to happen is this movie is going to be more emotional because you're going to understand some of the history. We are going to let people understand why he was the character that he was in the first Road House. Now, I didn't produce the first Road House. Other people produced it. We have a different director. We have a lot more very famous MMA and UFC fighters in the movie, but there's also a really great emotional story that you discover as the movie goes on that the first movie just didn't deal with.

When do you think fans will actually get to see it? Do you think it's out later this year?

ROVEN: I think it's out later this year or the beginning of next. It hasn't been dated, and it's only on Amazon Prime.

Have you guys finished filming? Are you in the edit yet?

ROVEN: We are in the last 10 days of shooting.

So you’re near the end.

ROVEN: Very near the end.

I really enjoyed the first one. I want to switch to another movie. The main reason I'm looking forward to The Thomas Crown Affair is Michael B. Jordan, which is another project you're working on. The material has been made before. What is it about this version and Michael's vision for this version that people should be excited about?

ROVEN: To me, what was great about both preceding movies, even though the Pierce Brosnan movie was a reboot of the Steve McQueen/Faye Dunaway movie, it was different. It had differences, so there was a reason for it to be remade. It wasn't a sequel. It was really a remake. And Michael B. has done the exact same thing in his own way, and he's given us, also, a reason for us to go see it. Why is this character doing what he's doing? He doesn't have to. He's a multimillionaire or a billionaire. Thomas Crown has always been a very rich guy, and he always had to have a reason for doing what he was doing, and Michael has come up with a really great one.

rene russo and pierce brosnan in the Thomas crown affair

When do you think I'm going to see a trailer or even the movie?

ROVEN: Well, the movie's been dated. I think it's March 7th, 2027. I'm pretty sure. It’s probably March. It is theatrical. It's going to be an MGM theatrical movie. So, I'm guessing if we're going to hold that date, which I believe we can, that you'll start to see something by the second half of the year.

You're always producing a million things. You're working on a ton of stuff. What are you actually getting ready to shoot this year? What are you excited to be working on in 2026?

ROVEN: I do have a very robust pipeline, it's true. I have a lot of wonderful, creative people working for me at Atlas Entertainment, and two of them are producers on this movie, on Mercy. Well, Majd [Nassif] wasn't working for me, but Rob Amidon has been with me for many years. I don't have anything greenlit right now. My mind was on getting Mercy out of the finishing powers crowd and finishing Road House, while still pushing movies forward. But I do have a number of movies that I'm hoping to get at least a blinking light within the next few months.

Mercy is now in theaters, available in IMAX and 3D.