‘Reacher’ Star Alan Ritchson Set To Lead Netflix’s ‘Maelstrom’ – The Action Epic 30 Years In The Making

Alan Ritchson continues to build his reputation as one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars, and his next project could be one of his most interesting yet. The ‘Reacher’ actor is now in talks to lead Netflix’s upcoming action thriller ‘Maelstrom,’ a movie that has been sitting in development for more than three decades.

According to multiple sources who spoke with Variety, Ritchson is currently negotiating to star in the project, which originally began making the rounds in Hollywood back in 1993. The script was first sold to Warner Bros. by producer Jeff Robinov when he was still working as an agent. More than 30 years later, the film has found a new home at Netflix with a major action team behind it.

The movie will be directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, the filmmaker behind Netflix’s successful action thriller ‘Carry-On.’ That film’s success helped create the opportunity for ‘Maelstrom’ to finally move forward after spending years stuck in development.

‘Maelstrom’ follows a Federal Marshal who is assigned to protect the fiancée of an arms dealer who is entering witness protection. The entire story takes place over the course of one dangerous night as a massive hurricane moves in, cutting off communication and preventing outside help from arriving.

With no way to call for backup, the marshal and his protected witness must fight to survive against a group of attackers sent by the arms dealer. At the same time, they are forced to battle the deadly conditions created by the storm surrounding them.

The original script was written by Gregory Fitzpatrick, but the new version is being updated by screenwriter Mark Bianculli, known for ‘How to Rob a Bank.’ Bianculli has been brought in to modernize the story and update the characters for today’s audience while keeping the high-concept action elements that made the project stand out in the first place.

The film also marks an important project for producer Jeff Robinov under his overall deal with Netflix. Robinov will produce ‘Maelstrom’ alongside Tabitha Shick and Talking Pictures. During his time at Warner Bros., Robinov played a major role in developing some of the studio’s biggest franchises, including Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight’ trilogy and ‘The Hangover’ movies.

Netflix’s interest in the project reportedly came after the success of ‘Carry-On.’ According to Variety, the streamer saw an opportunity to revisit older, unfinished projects with strong concepts after ‘Carry-On’ became one of Netflix’s biggest movie hits. The film had spent years without moving forward before Netflix brought it back, attached major talent and turned it into a major success.

Following that result, Netflix began searching for other projects with similar potential. Development executive Kira Cousineau helped bring ‘Maelstrom’ back into the spotlight and helped guide the project toward its current version.

For Ritchson, the movie represents another major step in his growing action career. His popularity has skyrocketed thanks to his role as Jack Reacher in Prime Video’s hit series ‘Reacher,’ where he plays the former military police officer who gets pulled into dangerous situations while searching for the truth.

Ritchson has also appeared in projects like ‘War Machine’ and continues to become a major name in the action genre. With ‘Maelstrom,’ he now has the chance to lead another large-scale thriller, this time with Netflix and one of the directors behind the streamer’s biggest recent action success.

The project is still in development, and Netflix has not announced a release date yet. However, with Ritchson, Collet-Serra and Robinov attached, the long-delayed action movie may finally be ready for its comeback.

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