Maelstrom was originally written 33 years ago. Now that it’s finally getting made, Netflix is tapping one of the biggest stars of the ’90s (and today) to lead the action movie.
According to Page Six Hollywood, Keanu Reeves is set to star in Maelstrom after Reacher actor Alan Ritchson had to drop out of the project for unclear reasons. Ritchson’s involvement in Maelstrom was first reported back in July.
Jaume Collet-Serra (Carry-On) is directing Maelstrom. Mark Bianculli (How to Rob a Bank) is currently refreshing the script from a first draft by late writer Gregory Fitzpatrick.
Maelstrom revolves around a Federal Marshal guarding the fiancée of an arms dealer seeking witness protection. Events unfold over the course of one evening as a hurricane rolls in, blocking outside communication and preventing reinforcements from arriving. Together they must fight to survive the onslaught of men working for the arms dealer, as well as the escalating elements of the natural disaster raging outside.
The action movie was originally sold as a spec script to Warner Bros. in 1993 by producer Jeff Robinov when he was an agent. At the time, Maelstrom was widely described as “Die Hard in a hurricane.”
Reeves emerged as an action star in the 1990s with Speed and The Matrix. His status as an icon of the genre remains active to this day thanks to the wildly successful John Wick franchise. Reeves’ casting in Maelstrom comes a week after he entered talks to lead James Wan’s remake of The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil for Paramount.
Are you bummed to see Ritchson depart Maelstrom or excited to see Reeves in a non-John Wick action movie? Tell us down in the comments with your Disqus account!
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