The Bodyguard is coming back to the screens with a new cast and a director. The 1992 romantic drama starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston is being remade by Sam Wrench, who directed the the 2023 Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film.
The news was revealed by Warner Bros CEOS Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy in an interview with Deadline. The studio has not yet revealed any casting details, but it has confirmed that Jonathan Abrams, the writer behind Clint Eastwood’s latest courtroom drama Juror #2, will pen the script for this updated iteration.
A remake for the classic has been in the works for years now. Matthew Lopez penned an earlier draft of the screenplay for the long-delayed project, which has seen multiple phases of development since 2011.
In The Bodyguard, a former Secret Service agent (Costner) is entasked with safeguarding a famous singer (Houston) from a stalker. Directed by Mick Jackson with a script by Lawrence Kasdan (Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark), the film was a box-office success and soundtrack by Houston became the best-selling album of all time, with sales of over 50 million copies worldwide. It also earned two nominations for its songs 'I Have Nothing' and 'Run to You'. A stage adaptation premiered in London’s West End in 2012.
Apart from directing the The Eras Tour, Wrench has also helmed Laufey’s A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl and A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter for Netflix. He has also directed concert documentaries for BTS, Billie Eilish and Lizzo.
The news of its remake has met with mixed reactions on the internet with many discouraging the idea of greenlighting the project. They noted that Whitney Houston's role is irreplaceable and raised concerns on Hollywood's reliance on remakes.
Other revivals in the works are The Matrix 5, Beetlejuice 3, The Goonies sequel, a new Gremlins film, Oceans Eleven prequel, and The Hunt for Gollum, among others.