Comedy Movie Merv, Depressed Dog with Zooey Deschanel and Charlie Cox

Merv, the plot of the movie

Merv is an upcoming comedy movie. When their beloved dog Merv loses his energy after their separation, Anna (Zooey Deschanel) and Russ (Charlie Cox) are forced to live together in what seems like an awkward arrangement.

Hoping to pull Merv out of his depressive state, Russ takes him to Florida for a vacation: but Anna—unexpectedly—shows up too.

As Merv slowly regains his rhythm, the two discover that their own reconciliation might also be possible.

“There’s something I need to tell you. The fact is that Russ and I broke up,” Anna tells the dog while bathing him, in the released trailer. “You don’t play ball, you don’t want cuddles,” Russ addresses Merv.

“Let’s take a trip, to a dog beach, in Florida,” Russ communicates to Anna. The two later find themselves on the beach: “What are you doing here? You show up dressed like a spy woman.”

Merv, the cast of the movie

Zooey Deschanel has worked on Harold and the Purple Crayon and stars in the TV series New Girl. Charlie Cox has acted in She Hulk: Attorney at Law, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and Daredevil as Matt Murdock, as well as in The Theory of Everything.

The cast also includes Ellyn Jameson, recently seen in episodes of Barry; Patricia Heaton, recently seen in The Exorcism of Emma Schmidt - The Ritual and the series Frasier, and who has worked on Beethoven and episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond.

Direction is by Jessica Swale, who recently directed Ten Percent and Summerland.

Merv, filming and release date of the movie

Production is by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Catchlight Studios, and Lightworkers Media. Filming began in April 2024 in Wilmington, North Carolina, and concluded in June: part of Princess Street was transformed into a snowy environment. The movie will be released on Amazon Prime Video on December 10, 2025.