Jared Padalecki's Netflix holiday rom-com with ‘Gossip Girl’ star finally sets release date
Sam Winchester and Blair Waldorf are teaming up! Netflix has just given fans a date to circle as the streaming service is set to debut ‘Guarding Stars,’ the holiday rom-com pairing of Jared Padalecki and Leighton Meester, on November 18, Collider reports. The date falls right in Netflix’s cozy-season lineup, as the streamer has seen its catalog of book-to-screen romances grow in recent years. The film is based on Katherine Center’s novel, ‘The Bodyguard,’ and yes, the title was changed after learning it was a bit much to share a name with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner’s 1992 classic. The team leaned on fans to help pick something new, and they landed on ‘Guarding Stars.’
The film follows Hannah Brooks (Meester), a buttoned-up executive protection agent who is newly single and grieving for her mother. She is hired by her security company to guard Jack Stapleton (Padalecki), Hollywood’s heartthrob, who has disappeared on his family’s Montana ranch after a scandal and a personal tragedy. Jack does not want his ailing mother to know that he is being stalked, so he convinces Hannah to pretend to be his girlfriend instead. Naturally, pretend feelings start to look a lot like real ones. For Padalecki, this marks a full-circle moment, as it’s his return to live-action film after nearly two decades away, after his last effort was 2009’s ‘Friday the 13th.’ He has since become a television mainstay in ‘Supernatural’ and ‘Walker’ and a ‘The Boys’ cameo, among others.
The supporting cast is filled with unexpected names. Andie MacDowell stars in a pivotal role, country singer Walker Hayes (known for ‘Fancy Like’) takes on his film debut, ‘Running Point’ actor Toby Sandeman signs up, Noah LaLonde brings in his ‘My Life With the Walter Boys’ fan following, and WWE star CM Punk finishes the line-up, according to ComingSoon. Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum directs the film based on Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith’s screenplay. Genevieve Padalecki, Jared’s wife, produces the film alongside Gina Matthews and Grant Scharbo.
Filming officially wrapped in March, in the snowy streets of Calgary. Since then, fans have been sussing out casting news piece by piece, as two very different fandoms, Winchester hunters and Upper East Siders, collide over one movie announcement. Notably, ‘Guarding Stars’ is set to be Center’s third book-to-film adaptation, according to Deadline. Her novel ‘The Lost Husband’ was adapted into a 2020 Quiver/Redbox movie, starring Josh Duhamel and Leslie Bibb, while ‘Happiness for Beginners’ streamed on Netflix in 2023, with Ellie Kemper and Luke Grimes in the lead roles.
