Netflix's Upcoming Adaptation of "The Bodyguard" Seeks Fan Input for New Title

A Zoom meeting held among author Katherine Center, and actors Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki sparked an ingenious idea for Netflix’s adaptation of Center's novel, “The Bodyguard”. The idea, initially proposed by Meester and backed by Padalecki, was for fans to suggest potential titles for the film.

The original name, "The Bodyguard," according to Meester is already synonymous with the classic 1992 Kevin Costner-starring thriller. She expressed this during their discussion, which was later posted on Instagram by Padalecki. Padalecki then suggested to Center, who boasts of a large dedicated readership, that these readers might have interesting alternatives.

Center responded favorably to the novel idea stating: "If my readers got a chance to make some suggestions, I know there would be gold in there.” Padalecki, in his Instagram post, then urged the author’s readers to literally line-up their suggestions in the comment section. He stated, “The whole team has been tossing around new ideas - and now we want to hear yours too. Drop your best title suggestions in the comments. Can’t wait to see what y’all come up with!”

"The Bodyguard", published by St. Martin’s Press in 2022, tells the tale of a famous actor hiring a bodyguard for protection against a stalker. To prevent worrying his family, he asks the bodyguard to impersonate his girlfriend. As the story develops, their façade crumbles and the duo's feelings for each other grow real.

In the Netflix adaptation, Meester and Padalecki are set to portray the characters of the bodyguard and the actor, respectively. Besides the title change, the film will also tweak several story elements. For one, Meester hinted that the narrative will unfold during Christmas, unlike in the original book. The screenplay adaptation has been penned by Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith.

The movie, led by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum as director and Gina Matthews, Grant Scharbo, Jared Padalecki, and Genevieve Padalecki as producers, is currently ramping up for production. The cast is composed of Meester, Padalecki, Walker Hayes, Noah LaLonde, Toby Sandeman, and Andie MacDowell.