Hollywood loves a remake and the latest film to get that reboot treatment is a classic that probably doesn’t need a new interpretation, but it’s getting one. The 1992 movie, The Bodyguard, starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, is being reimagined, per Deadline.
The cast has not been announced, but a super-famous name bubbled up immediately on the internet: Taylor Swift. When Houston filmed the movie, she was the biggest pop star of the moment and the same could be said of Swift right now. So, it’s understandable that Hollywood would think she was perfect for the role. But there’s another reason why Swift’s name swirling about and it has to do with her connections to the people working on the project.
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Sam Wrench, who directed Swift’s concert film, Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour, is set to helm The Bodyguard revamp. It makes her casting feel like a natural fit even though the casting process isn’t underway yet. The duo also made magic at the box office in 2023, earning $261.7 million worldwide.
If you’re not familiar with the original film, the storyline follows a former U.S. Secret Service agent, played by Costner, who becomes a bodyguard. He is hired to protect a famous actress and singer, played by Houston, who is being harassed by an unknown stalker. Amid the drama, the duo’s undeniable chemistry takes over.
While Swift is the hot name of the moment to play Houston role, there was a rumor in 2023 that a royal family member might play the part. Meghan Markle, who retired from acting in 2017 after getting engaged to Prince Harry, somehow found herself in the mix of The Bodyguard 2 with Costner.
“The only thing Kevin loves more than an underdog like Meghan is a box office hit,” a source told New Idea magazine, via the Express. The rumor wasn’t that far-fetched considering Costner wanted Princess Diana to star in a follow-up film with him back in the ’90s.
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“I said, ‘Look, I’m going to do Bodyguard 2 and I think I can build this around you. Would you be interested?'” he recalled on The Howard Stern Show in 2024. “And she said … she goes, ‘Yes.'” He reportedly had those conversations with the Princess of Wales in 1996 around the time her divorce from Prince Charles was about to be finalized.
“She goes, ‘My life’s about to change,'” Costner told Stern of their conversation. “She said, ‘Is there going to be a kissing scene?’ And I said, ‘Do you want there to be one?’ And she said, ‘Yeah.’ And I said, ‘Then we’ll do that.'”
Princess Diana died a year later in a devastating car crash on Aug. 31, 1997, and Costner decided not to move forward with the project because he “could not replace Princess Di.”
The Bodyguard reboot is still in the preproduction stage, no release date has been targeted yet.
Before you go, click here to see the most romantic movie kisses you’ll wish would happen to you IRL.
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