Chris Pratt plays police detective for the first time in 'Mercy'

Guardians of the Galaxy, Jurassic World, The Lego Movie and Super Mario Bros. Movie icon Chris Pratt says he was excited to star in Mercy because it gave him his first opportunity to play a cop.

"I've never played a detective before," Pratt, 46, said in a recent panel discussion at New York Comic Con before being corrected by audience members who shouted out, "Burt Macklin!"

"Oh, that's true! I played Burt Macklin, a true homicide detective. Burt Macklin, FBI. I work for the President of the United States of America," he quipped, referring to a faux FBI agent alter-ego he occasionally assumed on the sitcom, Parks and Recreation.

"I've never played a serious detective before. So, this was a departure for me, something different for me to try," he added. "High stakes. He's a guy who has seen a lot and been through a lot. He's part of this special new Mercy program they designed using AI to modify their court system to be more efficient and to face the rise in capital crime in this version of Los Angeles. They just want to get the murderers off the street and send a message."

Helmed by Timur Bekmambetov and in theaters this weekend, the film is set in the near future when Chris Raven (Pratt) stands trial for the alleged murder of his wife and has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an advanced AI judge (Rebecca Ferguson).

"My character has put eight people in this chair, each of whom were immediately executed," Pratt said. "I find myself now on the receiving end of justice."

The film marks a reunion for Pratt and Bekmambetov, who previously collaborated on 2008's Wanted.

"It's a pleasure," Bekmambetov said.

"I think there's something new for Chris in this movie," he added. "It's his next iteration. He plays a dark and very vulnerable character. It's a very dramatic story. I enjoyed it. I believe that he enjoyed it, too, and I think we will entertain audiences with this type of new story."

Pratt described Greatest Showman and Doctor Sleep actress Ferguson, 42, as a "true scene partner," even though they were not in the same room at the same time.

"I'm looking at this projection hologram of her. In order to do that, they had her on a separate set being shot and her image was projected for me to see, so I was acting opposite her, but essentially, virtually," Pratt said. "It was like a very high-production Zoom session."

True Detective: Night Country alum and former boxing champ Kali Reis, 39, plays Jack, Chris' partner.

"This story immediately drew me in, especially this character," Reis said.

"I've played a partner before, but not a partner that's the only one that's not in the chair and has to be the ears, the eyes and everything else. This character, when she makes a decision, she's all in for it. She's very loyal."

But that doesn't mean Jack isn't also complicated.

"She does also have some things about her that you have to discover. I had to discover [that] reading the script and I love building back stories," Reis said.

"The script provided such a baseline for me to really dive deep, to build her back story because there's a reason why she believes in this court so very much. So, it's very interesting."