Mark Duplass will be begging for Mercy

Last Updated on July 23, 2021

Stephen King’s works have been translated to screen so many times it’s hard to remember them all. And with any great writer whose works get the big screen treatment, there have been just as many horrible adaptations of The Master’s work as there have been good ones. We’re all keeping our fingers crossed that the upcoming MERCY (based on King’s short story ‘Gramma’ from his short story collection “Skeleton Key”) is one of the better ones, and judging from the recent casting news it certainly seems to be aiming high.

It was only a few weeks ago that we shared the news that Shirley Knight and Chris Browning had joined the previously announced Dylan McDermott, Frances O’Connor, Chandler Riggs and Joel Courtney in the Peter Cornwell-helmed film and today we have another bit of casting news for ya.

Deadline is reporting that indie superstar and one-half of directing duo The Duplass Brothers Mark Duplass has signed on for a role in MERCY, which follows two young boys who go with their single mother (Frances O’Connor) to take care of their elderly, senile grandmother named Mercy, only to discover that she’s a witch who made a pact with a dark force many years before.

Duplass has made quite the name for himself as a writer, producer and director over the past decade but has been taking on more acting roles lately, recently appearing in ZERO DARK THIRTY and SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED as well as the hit FX series “The League”. It’s unclear at the moment which role Duplass will be taking on in MERCY.

Peter Cornwell (THE HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT) is set to direct MERCY from a Matt Greenberg (1408) script.

King’s story was earlier adapted for the small screen in an episode of The New Twilight Zone in 1986.