Preview:
- Keanu Reeves will star in action thriller ‘Maelstrom.’
- He’s replacing Alan Ritchson in the lead.
- Jaume Collet-Serra is directing for Netflix.
Action thriller ‘Maelstrom’ already has a long development history. The original script was sold to Warner Bros. by writer Gregory Fitzpatrick way back in 1993.
Since then, it has languished, but producer and script champion Jeff Robinov (who was an agent when the screenplay was sold and went on to years as WB president) is reviving it under his deal with Netflix.
Jaume Collet-Serra is in the director’s chair, but there’s a further twist –– ‘Reacher’ star Alan Ritchson was cast in the lead role, but has left the movie for unknown reasons.
So how to you replace Jack Reacher? You hire John Wick, of course! Yes, no less an action icon than Keanu Reeves is stepping into the breach.
Related Article: Keanu Reeves in Talks for James Wan’s ‘The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil’
What’s the story of ‘Maelstrom’?
The movie, which has seen a rewrite from Mark Bianculli (‘How to Rob a Bank’) follows a Federal Marshal who is guarding the fiancée of an arms dealer who is seeking witness protection as she prepares to testify against him. Events unfold over one evening as a hurricane rolls in, blocking communication from the outside world and preventing reinforcements from arriving.
Together, the duo has to fight the onslaught of men working for the arms deal while dealing with the natural disaster outside their window.
What else is Keanu Reeves working on?
Reeves was recently attached to James Wan’s remake of ‘The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil’ and has a few movies on the way, including satire ‘The Entertainment System Is Down’ and ‘Sonic the Hedgehog 4’ (where he voices Shadow), plus sci-fi movie ‘Shiver.’
