In a recent interview with Variety, Tony winner Matthew López (The Inheritance) opened up about Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming The Bodyguard remake of the 1992 romantic drama thriller, revealing some new details about its’ potential story. The scribe went on to confirm that unlike the original film which centered around an established singer, the upcoming project will instead be led by a young Latina protagonist who is trying to deal with her newfound fame.
“When Warner Bros. approached me about the idea, I quickly said I would but I wanted the protagonist to be Latina,” López said. “They agreed to that.”
He also talked about the remake’s more timely and modern story, while also expressing how it was important for him to be able to give more Latin representation on screen.
“Instead of focusing on an established star like the one Whitney Houston played, this is about a young Latina performer who has just become famous,” López revealed. “It’s about how her life has changed because she is an overnight sensation. In the 21st century, that means she’s in immediate need of protection. It was important to me to use this opportunity to get Latin faces up on that screen and to get their stories told in a big way.”
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Described as a reimagining, The Bodyguard remake will be written by Matthew López (The Inheritance). It will once again be produced by the original film’s producer and writer Lawrence Kasdan for Kasdan Pictures, along with Dan Lin & Jonathan Eirich for Rideback. It will be executive produced by Rideback’s Nick Reynolds.
Further details about the plot and characters are still being kept under wraps, but the project has been in the making for over a decade now, with Lin attached to the project since 2011. It remains to be seen if the remake would also cast a prominent singer or not, just like the first film with award-wining singer Whitney Houston.
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1992’s The Bodyguard was directed by Mick Jackson, from a screenplay written by Lawrence Kasdan. The film starred Houston and Kevin Costner, where it followed the story of a former Secret Service agent who gets hired to protect a famous personality from a stalker. Interestingly, Kasdan originally wrote the film in the 1970s as a Steve McQueen and Diana Ross-led project.
The film was best known for its original soundtrack which includes the songs “I Will Always Love You,” “I Have Nothing,” and “Run to You,” which were all performed by Houston. The latter two earned the film an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.
