Keanu Reeves is back in action in Maelstrom, a thriller that’s been in development at Netflix for over three decades. The John Wick star is stepping up to take over the lead role after Reacher actor Alan Ritchson left the project. The premise sounds like something straight out of an action movie: a federal marshal has to protect a key witness as a hurricane isolates them from the rest of the world.
The film will be helmed by Carry-On director Jaume Collet-Serra, who directed the Netflix action thriller. It’s about a federal marshal assigned to protect the fiancée of an arms dealer who’s going into witness protection and preparing to testify against him. But as a hurricane approaches, communications fail, and reinforcements can’t reach them, the pair must battle armed men determined to stop her testimony.
The project has a surprisingly long history. Maelstrom, according to Page Six, was initially pitched to Warner Bros. back in 1993, a time when Hollywood studios were on the hunt for action films similar to Die Hard. The script sat around for decades until Netflix breathed life into it, giving the long-delayed project another chance to make it to the screen.
Courtesy Image
Why Maelstrom Could Be a Major Action Thriller for Netflix
Reeves is one of the most recognizable action stars in Hollywood, thanks to franchises like The Matrix and John Wick. His casting gives Netflix a familiar lead for a story that takes place in a confined space, with rising danger and a natural disaster making escape harder and harder.
The film is also the first project under producer Jeff Robinov’s new deal with Netflix. Robinov, a former president of Warner Bros. Pictures, helped oversee major franchises such as The Dark Knight trilogy and The Hangover films.
Mark Bianculli, who wrote the screenplay for “How to Rob a Bank,” is adapting a previous draft of the script by the late Gregory Fitzpatrick. Ritchson’s reason for departure hasn’t been revealed, and more casting details have yet to be released.
For now, Maelstrom is a familiar action movie setup with a potentially interesting twist: the heroes must survive both a human threat and a powerful storm. Reeves stars, Collet-Serra directs, and with Netflix, perhaps the long-delayed project will find a new audience. No release date has been announced.
