There’s been a casting shakeup for Jaume Collet-Serra’s new movie, Maelstrom. According to sources, Alan Ritchson is no longer starring in the project, and Keanu Reeves is taking his place.
“Die Hard in a Hurricane”
According to Variety‘s description, the Netflix film “revolves around a Federal Marshal who is guarding the fiancée of an arms dealer who is seeking witness protection as she prepares to testify against him. Events unfold over one evening as a hurricane rolls in, blocking communication from the outside world and preventing reinforcements from arriving. Together, the duo has to fight the onslaught of men working for the arms deal while dealing with the natural disaster outside their window.”
Page Six Hollywood was the first to report on Reeves’ casting, though it remains a mystery why Ritchson dropped out. Mark Bianculli (How to Rob a Bank) is currently putting his signature spin on the script, based on a first draft by late writer Gregory Fitzpatrick.
From a ’90s Spec Script to Netflix
If you spend as much time digging into industry moves as I do, you know there’s nothing quite like a high-concept, throwback spec script resurrecting from development hell. Case in point: Netflix just picked up Maelstrom, a project originally sold to Warner Bros. all the way back in 1993 by producer Jeff Robinov during his agent days. Pitching it as essentially “Die Hard in a hurricane,” WB shelled out between $225,000 and $625,000 at the time, which, adjusted for 33 years of inflation, comes to a cool $500K to $1.4 million in today’s money.
What’s Next for Ritchson?
It’s anyone’s guess as to why Ritchson needed to exit the project. He’s got multiple features in the works in addition to his ongoing role as Jack Reacher for Amazon’s chart-topping action series. His next starring role finds him celebrating the holidays alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Awkwafina in The Man with the Bag, a family comedy about what happens when Santa’s magic bag is stolen, and the jolly, old elf must turn to a former thief (Ritchson) to help him get it back. The movie dashes through the snow and onto Prime Video on December 2. Just in time for the holiday rush!
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