Netflix has picked up on recent BookTok trends and is set on an expedition to deliver gifts this holiday season. The streaming titan already boasts a shining carousel full of cozy rom-coms; now it has another flavorful addition to the mix, with two stars colliding into a firework love story. Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki take charge to turn up the heat in a new heart-fluttering and chaotic movie, bringing new dimensions to a novel with a gigantic fanbase. 

With some of the very successful TV shows in their resume, Meester and Padalecki will likely spark an insane chemistry in one of Netflix's eagerly anticipated Christmas movie releases.

Netflix has revealed that Leighton Meester (Good Cop/Bad Cop) and Jared Padalecki (Supernatural) are set to lead a rom-com based on The Bodyguard by Katherine Center, one of the most popular romance novels in 2022. Meester will be playing the role of a no-nonsense, serious, and strict bodyguard, while Padalecki will be portraying the role of her charming action-star client whom she has to protect during Christmas. 

Directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum, famed for Purple Hearts and Ginny & Georgia, the film also stars Andie MacDowell (Four Weddings and a Funeral), debutante Walker Hayes, Noah LaLonde (My Life with the Walter Boys), and Toby Sandeman (Running Point) as the supporting cast. Although the exact date of release for the movie has not yet been disclosed, Netflix has initiated a fan vote on Meester, Padalecki, and Center's Instagram to help determine a new name for the movie that promises a gleeful mix of action, emotions, and Christmas romance straight from the viral book.

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Despite literary translation of texts to screen being a slippery slope, Netflix's adaptations of cult-favorite books hardly ever fail to match their energy, and The Bodyguard seems no different.

The source material for Netflix's new Christmas romance tells a story of The Bodyguard, which went viral on BookTok as a holiday-rom-com read-fest back in 2022. Readers were captivated by the intertwining scenarios of a bodyguard’s protective instincts and sudden feelings, as well as a movie star's vulnerability, the combination that will benefit the film's version of a giggle-inducing romance. Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum also shared her excitement about her take on Katherine Center's witty story, as well as closely collaborating with the author herself. 

On the premise of the romance, Allen Rosenbaum told Netflix, "It makes the most gorgeous backdrop for the sparks that fly between them to be even brighter." Expect high stakes and warm hearts as Leighton Meester’s composed bodyguard leaves her structured world to plunge into Jared Padalecki’s media-frenzied holiday shoot. Secrets, attraction, and Christmas lights twinkle around the plot, offering a charming addition to Netflix's holiday watchlist.

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