Jonathan Majors has been cast in his first major role since his conviction of third-degree assault and harassment. Majors will star in the thriller Merciless, written by Frank Hannah and directed by Martin Villeneuve, younger brother of Denis Villeneuve and director of the 2012 French-language film Mars et Avril. The film is set to shoot in Saskatchewan this fall and follows a CIA interrogator (Majors) who goes on a journey of revenge when the woman he loves is overtaken by a malevolent force.
Jonathan Majors Return To Movies
The new Jonathan Majors film is also being developed by producer Christopher Tuffin, who is launching a new global media venture, which Tuffin states “refuses to let the court of public opinion and selective prosecution undermine great art and artists.” Tuffin played a role in helping the movie Sound of Freedom bring in over $250 million at the global box office. A film that generated controversy not because of the content of the film itself but because of the conspiracy-laden press interviews with those involved in the film.
The Conviction
Jonathan Majors was convicted of third-degree assault and harassment of now ex-girlfriend Grace Jabarri earlier this year and sentenced in April. The judge sentenced Majors to a 52-week in-person domestic violence counseling program in Los Angeles, and he could face jail time if he violates any of the terms of his sentencing. It’s unclear if Majors’ counseling obligations will interfere with the planned filming in Canada for Merciless.
Losing The Role Of A Lifetime
Jonathan Majors denied all allegations throughout his trial. Once the guilty verdict was in, Majors was dropped by Marvel Studios from his role as Kang the Conqueror, his biggest Hollywood role yet. Kang the Conqueror was being set up as a major long-term villain for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with appearances in Loki and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania set to culminate in the film Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, which has now been removed from Marvel’s upcoming slate of projects.
Replacing Kang
Jonathan Majors’ firing led to Marvel completely retooling Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and now the film is simply titled Avengers 5 (though it will undoubtedly have a subtitle in the future.) For now, the MCU is lacking a big bad, but there will presumably be a new Avengers villain introduced in one of the upcoming films like Deadpool & Wolverine or Fantastic Four. Galactus is being introduced in Fantastic Four, so there’s a chance this could be the new MCU villain unless Dr. Doom is also introduced.
The Recovery Of A Once Promising Career
Before being convicted, Jonathan Majors’ star was on a meteoric rise with films like Creed III and his MCU appearances. Majors was also dropped by his manager and publicity firm as a result of the guilty verdict, though his talent agency, WME, continues to represent the actor. It remains to be seen if Merciless will put Majors’ career back on track.
As of now, Merciless is the only upcoming project Jonathan Majors has on his slate. Merciless currently doesn’t have a release date, but we’ll likely find out more soon. Stay tuned for more news on this story as it continues to develop.
