Keanu Reeves Reportedly Replaces Alan Ritchson in Maelstrom

Keanu Reeves is reported to be replacing Alan Ritchson as the lead of Netflix’s action thriller Maelstrom, a film directed by Jaume Collet-Serra. Netflix has not publicly confirmed Reeves’s casting in the reporting, and its representatives declined to comment to one publication. The casting therefore remains a reported development, not an official announcement from the company. Ritchson had been attached to the project before leaving the role for undisclosed reasons, according to reports. One account suggested he could be considering a sequel to War Machine, but no reason for his departure was confirmed. The reports do not say when production will begin. The story centers on a federal marshal assigned to protect the fiancée of an arms dealer. She is seeking witness protection and plans to testify against him. As a hurricane approaches, the dealer’s men pursue the pair. The reported plot has the storm cutting off communications and preventing federal reinforcements from reaching them, leaving the marshal and the woman to try to survive the attackers and the storm. Maelstrom began as a spec screenplay by Gregory Fitzpatrick, which Warner Bros. acquired in 1993. The script has...