It’s Official! All About ‘The Bodyguard,’ Jared Padalecki & Leighton Meester’s Netflix Rom-Com
What To Know
- Netflix has officially announced a film adaptation of Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard.
- The adaptation will star Jared Padalecki and Leighton Meester.
- The romantic comedy will be directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, with a stacked supporting cast.
Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard has the makings of a perfect rom-com, especially with Jared Padalecki and Leighton Meester confirmed as the leads. The only thing that was missing was an official adaptation announcement — until now!
The Bodyguard follows Hannah, an elite bodyguard tasked with protecting reclusive Hollywood heartthrob, Jack Stapleton. In order to avoid Jack’s corgi-obsessed stalker without scaring his family, Hannah is forced to pretend that she is Jack’s girlfriend. Perfectly balancing office politics — turns out bodyguards are messy! — and adorable banter between Hannah and her fake-famous boyfriend, The Bodyguard flips the script on bodyguard romances for the better.
After months of rumors, Netflix confirmed that Padalecki and Meester will star in a movie based on The Bodyguard (apparently, the title could change), revealing that other big name actors and actresses will be filling out the rest of the roles. We can already tell, this is one romance adaptation nobody should miss! Below, we’re breaking down everything we know about The Bodyguard so far.
Who has been cast in The Bodyguard?
On November 20, Netflix announced that Padalecki of Supernatural and Gilmore Girls fame is set to star as Hollywood hunk Jack Stapleton alongside Gossip Girl and The Buccaneers star Leighton Meester as bona fide girlboss Hannah Brooks.
Joining Padalecki and Meester are Andie MacDowell (Groundhog Day), country star Walker Hayes, Noah LaLonde (My Life with the Walter Boys), and Toby Sandeman (Running Point). While their roles have not been revealed, we’d guess that MacDowell will play Jack’s mom, and LaLonde could play his brother.
Who else is involved in The Bodyguard?
The Bodyguard will be directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum (Ginny & Georgia) and written by Richard Keith (Virgin River) and Erin Cardillo (Isn’t It Romantic). Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo are set to produce for Little Engine Productions, with Padalecki and his wife, Genevieve Padalecki, for Living in the Asterisk.
In the announcement, Rosenbaum shared, “It’s been amazing to work closely with Katherine [Center] so far, and to see her so excited about moving her witty story about a no-nonsense bodyguard to an A-list actor into the holiday season. It makes the most gorgeous backdrop for the sparks that fly between them to be even brighter at that time of year. Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki are perfect as our leads, and I know audiences are going to love seeing them on screen together.”
Will The Bodyguard adaptation have a different name?
On November 20, Jared Padalecki posted a video with Katherine Center and Leighton Meester. Together, the trio shared two major updates. First, the film will take place around Christmas, not Thanksgiving, like the book. Second, the adaptation needs a new name, because The Bodyguard is already an iconic romance movie.
Padalecki wrote, “Big News!!!! Getting ready to head into production, and I’m incredibly excited to be teaming up with Netflix on this one!!! This story has so much heart, and we can’t wait to bring Katherine Center’s The Bodyguard to the screen. Only catch? The title… is already very, VERY taken.” He explained, “The whole team has been tossing around new ideas — and now we want to hear yours too.” If you have a suggestion for The Bodyguard adaptation’s new title, head to the comments of the video below.
View this post on Instagram
What has Jared Padalecki said about The Bodyguard?
At a Supernatural fan event, Padalecki gave fans an inside look at his next project, seemingly talking about The Bodyguard. He shared, “As of now, it’s a movie that can be a rom-com, can be a dramedy, can be romantic. When prompted by his costar, Jensen Ackles, to describe how the role would be different from recent projects like Walker, Padalecki teased, “This is going to be charming, I hope!” To prep for the “charming” actor role, he even joked, “I’ve been watching Jensen Ackles videos.”
ℹ️ More Details about “The Bodyguard” from Jared’s Gold Panel at #SPNPhilly
Charming Jared ✨
Thank you @FangasmSPN for sharing 💕#TheBodyguard #JaredPadalecki #Jared_Updates @jarpad
pic.twitter.com/48AExUpGX5— V⟡🦋| 𝐉𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐢 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐞 (@JarPad_Team) October 5, 2025
When will The Bodyguard premiere?
At this time, there is no release date for The Bodyguard. However, the film is supposedly going to start filming in December 2025. If what’s been rumored is correct, we could see this romance movie in 2026. Since the climax of the film occurs during the holidays, fans should likely expect this film to hit Netflix next winter.
The Bodyguard, TBA, Netflix
