Keanu Reeves has taken over as lead of the new Netflix action film Maelstrom following Alan Ritchson’s departure from the project.
Maelstrom stars Reeves as a Federal Marshal who must protect an arms dealer’s fiancée during a hurricane with no communication. A Maelstrom is another word for a massive storming whirlpool, and the film has been described as “Die Hard in a hurricane,” if a comparison was needed.
The film is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who also directed the action hit Carry-On starring Taron Egerton, Sofia Carson, and Jason Bateman.
The reasons behind Ritchson leaving the project are unknown at this time, per Deadline.
It makes sense that the project would try to pull in someone like Reeves. The two vary in age, appearance, build, and general tone while acting, which could mean the project will look and feel entirely different from what was originally planned. However, with Ritchson out, they needed someone with a similar resume. Reeves fits that need.
Reacher does make Ritchson a valuable name to attach to a project like Maelstrom. The Prime show is currently the most popular streaming series, according to Variety.
Ritchson gained mainstream recognition in Reacher, an action-crime show based on a novel series by Lee Child. He stars as the titular Jack Reacher, a former U.S. Army Military Police Officer with exceptional abilities who drifts from town to town yet continually finds himself entangled in conspiracies and criminal activity he must take down.
John Wick, like Reacher, follows the title character, played by Reeves, as he is continually drawn into criminal conspiracies he tried to escape. For Wick, it begins as a simple personal revenge mission after his dog is killed and, by the end, results in the assassin waging war on an entire assassin syndicate.
So Reeves is no stranger to action thrillers. With the Matrix and John Wick franchises under his belt, he’s a fit for Maelstrom.
There is no confirmation that Reeves will be appearing in John Wick 5, especially not at this time. He will be reprising his role to voice the character in an upcoming video game.
There is no official release date for Maelstrom at this time.
