Keanu Reeves to Star in Netflix’s ‘Maelstrom’ — SkimNews
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- Keanu Reeves will star in Netflix’s “Maelstrom” after “Reacher” actor Alan Ritchson dropped out; Page Six Hollywood first reported the casting, and the reason for Ritchson’s exit is unclear.
- Jaume Collet-Serra is directing “Maelstrom,” in which a federal marshal guards an arms dealer’s fiancée as she seeks witness protection and prepares to testify against him.
- “Maelstrom” unfolds over one evening as a hurricane blocks communication and reinforcements, forcing the marshal and his charge to fight the arms dealer’s men while dealing with the storm outside.
- Mark Bianculli is polishing the script from a first draft by late writer Gregory Fitzpatrick; Bianculli is the screenwriter of “How to Rob a Bank.”
- Netflix is reviving the film as the first project under producer and former Warner Bros. Pictures president Jeff Robinov’s new deal.
- Jeff Robinov sold the original “Maelstrom” spec script to Warner Bros. in 1993 for roughly $225,000 to $625,000—about $500,000 to $1.4 million adjusted for inflation over 33 years—and it was widely described as “Diehard in a hurricane.”
Why it matters: Netflix now has an established action star in Keanu Reeves for producer Jeff Robinov’s first project under a new deal, reviving a script sold to Warner Bros. in 1993 for roughly $225,000 to $625,000. Ritchson’s departure changes the announced lead, but no reason for his exit has been provided.
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