Keanu Reeves is set to star in Maelstrom at Netflix, replacing Alan Ritchson, according to Deadline and Variety reports relayed by JoBlo and GeekTyrant. JoBlo says Page Six was first with the casting.
Ritchson, the Reacher star, had been reported earlier as joining the film. Per GeekTyrant’s account of the Deadline report, he exited recently for undisclosed reasons, and Netflix declined to comment on the change. The outlets we opened give no explanation for his departure.
Jaume Collet-Serra, who directed Netflix’s Carry-On, is directing. Variety’s description, as quoted by JoBlo, has the story following a Federal Marshal guarding the fiancée of an arms dealer as she enters witness protection and prepares to testify against him; over one evening a hurricane cuts off communication and blocks reinforcements. JoBlo reports the pitch was “Die Hard in a Hurricane,” that the script comes from a first draft by the late Gregory Fitzpatrick sold to Warner Bros. in 1993 when Jeff Robinov was an agent, and that Mark Bianculli is revising it.
What to watch: an official Netflix confirmation, any word on Ritchson’s reasons, and a production start date, none of which has been announced.
Primary source: Deadline and Variety reports (not opened); no Netflix statement located.
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