Yup, it's happening: A remake of The Bodyguard is underway at Warner Bros.

The Inheritance playwright Matthew López will pen the remake nearly 30 years after the original film's release

Yup, it's happening: A remake of The Bodyguard is underway at Warner Bros.
Whitney Houston receiving the award for Record of the Year for “I’ll Always Love You,” and Album of the Year for the soundtrack for the The Bodyguard in 1993. Photo: POOL/AFP

Apparently nothing is sacred when it comes to the creation of film and television reboots, as Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner’s The Bodyguard enters the hellish remake cycle. Warner Bros. has officially selected playwright Matthew López to write the reimagined feature, as per Variety.

As the original story goes, Costner plays a Secret Service agent-turned-bodyguard employed to protect a popular actress/R&B singer (Houston) who is being threatened by a stalker. The upcoming remake has been described as a “reimagining,” which means the story could focus on a bodyguard (we presume that part has to remain the same) and some other kind of superstar—similar to the slight changes in each of the four remakes of A Star Is Born. López could even use his creative liberties to gender bend the feature (among other changes), so it does not feel like a copy and paste reproduction. While no cast has been set for López’s script, celebrities from Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson to Channing Tatum and Cardi B have been floated as viable duos over the years.

The original grossed more than $400 million at the worldwide box office and has the bestselling movie soundtrack of all time, with 45M copies sold around the globe. The film featured several chart-topping and Grammy-winning songs from Houston, most notably her cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.” Two songs from the soundtrack, “Run to You” and “I Have Nothing,” were nominated for Best Original Song at the Oscars. While the film did not garner critical acclaim at its release, The Bodyguard became a beloved classic, and the soundtrack, no doubt, plays a role.

On the bright side, it looks like the remake will be in safe hands: López is a Tony-nominated playwright who is known for his work The Inheritance. He will be working with the original film’s writer, Lawrence Kasdan, who has returned to produce the remake along with Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich.

 
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