A federal marshal guards an arms dealer's fiancée as a hurricane cuts off help, in a script first sold to Warner Bros. in 1993.
Keanu Reeves is set to star in Maelstrom, a Netflix action film, after Alan Ritchson, the star of Reacher, dropped out of the project. Sources have confirmed the casting, and Reeves is now attached to star.
The film is directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the filmmaker behind Carry-On. It follows a federal marshal assigned to guard the fiancée of an arms dealer who is seeking witness protection as she prepares to testify against him. Over one evening, a hurricane rolls in, blocks communication with the outside world and keeps reinforcements from arriving. The two of them have to fight off the dealer's men, with the hurricane still outside the window.
The reason for Ritchson's exit is undisclosed, and Netflix has not said why. Ritchson may be heading to War Machines, the sequel to War Machine, the Netflix hit he led earlier this year.
The script has been around for a long time. The current draft is by screenwriter Mark Bianculli, working from a first draft by the late writer Gregory Fitzpatrick. It was first sold as a spec script to Warner Bros. in 1993 by producer Jeff Robinov, who was then an agent. At the time, the project reportedly did not sell for as much as some had predicted. The original price is put at roughly $225,000 to $625,000, or closer to $500,000 to $1.4 million adjusted for inflation.
Robinov, a former Warner Bros. Pictures president, is producing alongside Tabitha Shick and Talking Pictures. Maelstrom is the first project under his new Netflix deal. Netflix executive Ori Marmur, who was also responsible for War Machine, is behind the revival.
Reportedly, Reeves is negotiating to headline James Wan's upcoming feature, The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, for Paramount. He will also reprise his voice role as Shadow in Sonic the Hedgehog 4, due in 2027. Reeves recently arranged a screen version of Oliver Lowe's upcoming novel Kill Current: A Jon Hendricks Thriller, which will be the first production under Two Dragonflies, his new label. Other upcoming projects include the Warner Bros. sci-fi film Shiver and The Entertainment System Is Down, from multiple Palme d'Or winner Ruben Östlund.
Netflix representatives declined to comment on Ritchson's exit.
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