NEED TO KNOW
- Timur Bekmambetov directed Chris Pratt in 2008 film Wanted, and reunites with the actor for the upcoming Mercy
- Pratt is “still the person you can enjoy spending time with,” the filmmaker tells PEOPLE exclusively
- The action star has a different confidence now compared to almost 20 years ago, says Bekmambetov
Chris Pratt has always been a star, according to the director of one of his first movies.
Timur Bekmambetov, who directed the 46-year-old actor in both 2008’s Wanted and the upcoming Mercy, tells PEOPLE recently that working with Pratt is “still the same” almost 20 years later.
“He’s still the person you can enjoy spending time with,” says the Kazakh-Russian filmmaker, 64, at New York Comic Con. “He’s the same — of course, it’s a very different confidence.”
When Bekmambetov cast Pratt in the Angelina Jolie-led Wanted, it marked the actor’s first major movie, filmed not long before his breakout casting on NBC’s Parks and Recreation. Asked if Pratt is more confident now — having led the Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World franchises and voiced such iconic characters as Mario and Garfield — Bekmambetov clarifies that “he was confident 20 years ago.”
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Chris Pratt and Timur Bekmambetov.
Craig Barritt/Getty
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The father of four is “more responsible” these days, continues the filmmaker. “Because he is now very important. He feels that he has a weight. He is and he must be responsible for how he behaves.”
In 2008 action film Wanted, Pratt played co-worker and (unfaithful!) best friend to James McAvoy. Now taking the spotlight in the Marco van Belle-written Mercy (in theaters Jan. 23, 2026), he’s a detective on trial — with an artificial intelligence judge played by Rebecca Ferguson — for the murder of his wife. Pratt’s character Chris Raven must prove his innocence to the AI in only 90 minutes and while confined to a chair, making for an action-packed, high-tech thriller.
“When Chris said yes and that he likes the story, then the movie became a real project,” recalls Bekmambetov. “Then, we were trying to find who could play AI. And there is only one person in the world who is as smart and tough and beautiful as Rebecca.”
Chris Pratt in ‘Mercy’.
Amazon MGM Studios
Bekmambetov makes movies for the same reason he cast Pratt again, he says: “It’s just to spend time with the people I like. And it was an unbelievable experience to be with Chris and Rebecca on set.”
Mercy, costarring Kali Reis, Annabelle Wallis, Rafi Gavron and more, is in theaters Jan. 23, 2026. Among Pratt’s other upcoming projects are Way of the Warrior Kid (in theaters Dec. 25), The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (in theaters April 3, 2026) and a sequel to the animated The Garfield Movie.
