Jonathan Majors secures first movie role since domestic assault sentencing
Disgraced MCU and Creed III star Jonathan Majors has landed his first role since he was convicted of domestic assault.
In April this year, it was reported that Majors avoided prison time and was sentenced to a year-long treatment programme after being found guilty of a domestic assault offence in 2023.
On December 18th, 2023, a six-person New York jury found the actor, who has also starred in Lovecraft Country and Da 5 Bloods, guilty of reckless assault in the third degree and on a further charge of harassment of ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. Majors was also found not guilty of one count of assault in the third degree and the same for aggravated assault in the second degree.
After Majors was arrested in March 2023, he lost a string of roles – including an Otis Redding biopic – and was dropped by his publicist and talent manager. Marvel also severed ties with him, and parent company Disney removed Magazine Dreams from its release schedule.
Deadline has now reported that Majors has secured his first role since being found guilty of assaulting Jabbari. His upcoming title is an independent revenge thriller, Merciless, directed by Martin Villeneuve, the younger brother of acclaimed Dune filmmaker Denis. The project is based on a screenplay by Frank Hannah and will start shooting in Saskatchewan at the end of Autumn.
Merciless tells the story of a revered CIA employee who is forced to head into the pits of darkness when the woman he loves is overcome by an evil force.
“Merciless intertwines themes of possession, revenge, and personal justice within a haunting narrative. It explores the psychological descent of John, played by Majors, and the supernatural forces challenging his sanity,” Villeneuve explained in a statement.
The inclusion of Majors in the project is not the only controversial aspect of the film. It is being developed by the producer Christopher Tuffin, who played a key role in bringing the controversial 2023 Christian thriller Sound of Freedom. Directed and co-written by Alejandro Monteverde and starring Jim Caviezel, the film was a sleeper hit, grossing over $400million in all media worldwide.
Ahead of the Toronto Film Festival in September, Tuffin will launch a new undertaking that “refuses to let the court of public opinion and selective prosecution undermine great art and artists.”
For help, advice or more information regarding domestic abuse in the UK, visit the Refuge charity website. In the US, visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
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