Jonathan Majors landed a role in filmmaker Martin Villeneuve’s upcoming movie Merciless. The independent film will be Majors’ first acting job since he was convicted of assaulting his ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari in 2023.
Villeneuve is Dune director Denis Villeneuve’s brother. Majors will play a CIA interrogator in Merciless.
“Merciless intertwines themes of possession, revenge and personal justice within a haunting narrative,” Villeneuve said, per Deadline. “It explores the psychological descent of John, played by Majors, and the supernatural forces challenging his sanity.”
Majors’ assault case derailed his once-promising career. Marvel fired him after a jury found him guilty of reckless assault and harassment in December 2023. He portrayed Kang the Conqueror in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The disgraced actor avoided jail for assaulting his ex. A judge sentenced Majors to probation and ordered him to participate in a 52-week domestic violence counseling program. He was facing up to one year behind bars.
Majors’ ex sued him for defamation, battery, assault, intentional infliction of emotional distress and malicious prosecution in March.
“It takes true bravery to hold someone with this level of power and acclaim accountable,” Jabbari’s attorney Brittany Henderson said in a press statement. “Bravery that Grace Jabbari has demonstrated at every stage of the legal process. We strongly believe that through this action, truth and transparency will bring Grace the justice that she deserves.”
Jabbari claimed Majors defamed her with his public response to the guilty verdict. She accused him of “pervasive domestic abuse.”
“When publicly confronted with Grace’s numerous allegations of abuse, Majors has called her a liar at every turn and very specifically claimed that he has never put his hands on a woman, with the goal of convincing the world that Grace is not a victim of domestic abuse but instead a crazy liar who should be treated as such,” her lawsuit contended.
Majors maintained his innocence.
