featuring @netflix
Netflix has announced a November 18 release date for Guarding Stars, its upcoming holiday romantic comedy based on Katherine Center’s bestselling novel The Bodyguard. The film stars Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki and will debut exclusively on the streamer.
The movie is the latest Netflix adaptation of a book with a Western-inspired setting. Because the title The Bodyguard is already famously associated with the 1992 film starring Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, the adaptation was renamed Guarding Stars with input from fans and readers of Center’s novel.
The ensemble cast includes Andie MacDowell, whose involvement was previously reported, as well as country music star Walker Hayes, known for his hit “Fancy Like.” Toby Sandeman, who appeared in Running Point, is also part of the cast. My Life With the Walter Boys star Noah LaLonde will appear in the film as well, continuing the connection between the project and Netflix’s popular country-focused titles.
WWE star CM Punk, who also voices a character in Zootopia 2, has joined the cast, adding another notable name to the holiday ensemble.
Published by St. Martin’s Press in July 2022, Center’s novel follows a tough, no-nonsense bodyguard who is assigned to protect a charming action star during the holiday season. What begins as a straightforward protection job soon becomes complicated as the pair develops feelings for each other while secrets emerge. With Christmas approaching, their assignment becomes anything but simple.
Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, whose credits include Aquamarine and Purple Hearts, is directing the adaptation. The screenplay comes from Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith, known for Isn’t It Romantic and Virgin River, alongside Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo.
Matthews and Scharbo are producing through Little Engine Productions, while Jared and Genevieve Padalecki are producing for Living in the Asterisk.
Guarding Stars marks the third adaptation of one of Center’s novels. Her previous screen adaptations include Happiness for Beginners, starring Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes, which was also released by Netflix, and The Lost Husband, starring Josh Duhamel and Leslie Bibb and released through Quiver/Redbox.
With its holiday setting, romance-driven story and star-studded cast, Guarding Stars is shaping up to be one of Netflix’s notable seasonal releases this year.
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