Jonathan Majors has secured his first film role following his 2023 conviction for domestic assault, which led to his dismissal from Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. Majors is set to star in the independent revenge thriller “Merciless,” directed by Martin Villeneuve, the younger brother of renowned filmmaker Denis Villeneuve.
Martin Villeneuve confirmed Majors’ casting in an interview with Variety. The film, written by Frank Hannah, centers on a CIA investigator who goes to extreme lengths after the woman he loves is overpowered by sinister forces. “Merciless” is scheduled to be filmed in Saskatchewan in late fall.
Majors was sentenced in April to one year of domestic violence counseling after being found guilty of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend. The Manhattan judge who presided over the two-week trial mandated that Majors complete a 52-week in-person program in Los Angeles, raising questions about how this requirement will align with the shooting schedule for “Merciless.”
Throughout his highly publicized trial, Majors consistently denied the assault allegations and expressed a strong desire to resume his career in Hollywood. His career had been rapidly ascending before his arrest in March 2023, with notable appearances in “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” “Creed III,” and the Emmy-winning “Lovecraft Country.”
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However, following the guilty verdict, Marvel Studios cut ties with Majors, who had played the central villain, Kang the Conqueror, in Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. He was expected to appear in future installments of the franchise, including 2026’s “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.” The fallout from his conviction also led to Majors being dropped by his manager, Entertainment 360, and his publicity firm, the Lede Company, though he remains represented by the talent agency WME.
“Merciless” is being developed at Sentient by producer Christopher Tuffin, who produced last year’s box office success “Sound of Freedom.” Tuffin plans to start a new media venture that “refuses to let the court of public opinion and selective prosecution undermine great art and artists.”
“In graduate school, I had the good fortune to study screenwriting under Blacklist scribe Millard Lampell and learned from him the dangers of letting politics undermine due process and deprive artists of their careers,” Tuffin said in a statement. “I consider it an honor and a privilege to be working with such a great talent now that this matter has been adjudicated.”
Tuffin will produce “Merciless” alongside Kevin Townsend and Kevin DeWalt, with Amanda Delaplaine, Chris Ochs, Andrew Bates, and Ben DeWalt serving as executive producers.
This new role marks a significant step for Majors as he seeks to rebuild his career following a tumultuous year.
