‘The Bodyguard’ Remake Is in the Works 30 Years After Whitney Houston’s Debut
Whitney Houston made her official feature film debut in 1992’s The Bodyguard starring opposite Kevin Costner. Already a successful 20-something singer, she wowed audiences with her acting talents and became synonymous with the movie. Despite critics’ negative reviews, the film grossed more than $400 million at the box office and remains a fan favorite. Now, Hollywood has plans to remake the musical romance.
‘The Bodyguard’ remake is happening in the 21st century
Many Whitney Houston fans consider The Bodyguard a classic, but is the film untouchable? According to Variety, Matthew López has been tapped to write a script for an upcoming remake of the movie with one of the original producers backing the project. López is an award-winning playwright whose credits include The Inheritance and The Legend of Georgia McBride.
Variety notes that no director or cast members are attached to the film yet, but a revival has been in development since at least 2011. Lawrence Kasdan, who wrote the script in 1975 for the famous 1992 version, is on board as a producer for the remake.
Whitney Houston almost didn’t accept the role in ‘The Bodyguard’
When offered the role of Rachel Marron, Houston almost passed it up. Costner wanted her from the beginning, and it’s commonly known that they waited an entire year for her to join the cast.
She worried about disappointing her fans and felt The Bodyguard was too major for her first foray into film. In a 1993 interview with Rolling Stone, she explained why she waited so long to make a decision about it.
“You know what I was concerned about? That people would dog me before they gave me the opportunity to do the job,” said Houston. She also viewed the character Rachel as rough. “So, I read the script. I liked the story, but in the beginning, Rachel was very rough, very hard – a little bi*ch.”
Ultimately, Costner allayed her fears and convinced her to do it. What some fans may not know is that Kasdan first wrote The Bodyguard with Steve McQueen in mind as the lead. That didn’t happen, and studio executives tried to resurrect the idea in 1978 with Ryan O’Neal as Frank Farmer. And he wanted his then-girlfriend Diana Ross to play Rachel. That iteration also fizzled out.
‘The Bodyguard’ spawned a hit soundtrack and theatrical play
Houston’s vocals provided the musical backdrop for the film, a fact that made the production team proud. They felt fortunate to land a pop star, and The Bodyguard soundtrack ruled the charts. It won a Grammy Award and went platinum 18 times.
Back in 2012, The Bodyguard was adapted as a stage show that launched in the U.K. After its original run in the West End, the play experienced a revival in the U.S., Australia, Europe, Canada, and Asia. Renowned performer Heather Headley played Rachel for its first round of U.K. shows, and the role later went to Alexandra Burke. In the U.S., singer Deborah Cox headlined as Rachel. Fans will have to wait and see who will fill Houston’s shoes next.
