Guarding Stars: Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki Holiday Rom-Com Movie News - Netflix Tudum

  • News

    Guarding Stars: Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki to Star in Holiday Rom-Com 

    Based on the novel The Bodyguard by Katherine Center, the festive film also stars Andie MacDowell.

    By Ruth Kinane
    Jan. 9, 2026

What do you get the person who already has everything for Christmas? A security professional, perhaps.

Leighton Meester (Good Cop/Bad Cop, I Love LA, The Buccaneers) and Jared Padalecki (Supernatural, Walker) are set to star in Guarding Stars, an upcoming holiday romantic comedy movie about a no-nonsense bodyguard assigned to protect a charming action star over the holidays. Of course, sparks fly, secrets unravel, and Christmas gets a lot more complicated!

Popular Now

  • The Bombing of Pan Am 103 Cast Guide: Meet the Investigators and Townspeople
    Three solemn people in black coats holding flower arrangements stand in a cemetery, surrounded by gravestones and green trees, attending a funeral on a cloudy day.

Guarding Stars is inspired by the 2022 novel The Bodyguard by Katherine Center. Directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum (Aquamarine, Purple Hearts, Ginny & Georgia), written by Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith (Isn’t It Romantic, Virgin River), and executive produced by Robin Fisichella, the rom-com will also star Andie MacDowell (Groundhog Day, Four Weddings and a Funeral), the country singer Walker Hayes in his acting debut, Noah LaLonde (My Life with the Walter Boys), Toby Sandeman (Running Point, Voicemails for Isabelle), Rachael Ancheril, Phil Brooks, and Ava Max. Producers include Gina Matthews with Little Engine Productions, Grant Scharbo with Little Engine Productions (Isn’t It Romantic, 13 Going on 30, Reminders of Him), and Jared and Genevieve Padalecki with Living in the Asterisk.

“I began paying close attention to BookTok culture around the success of my last Netflix film, Purple Hearts,” says Allen. “The overwhelming enthusiasm on social media and with readers for Katherine Center’s novel was a major factor in my decision to come on board as director. It’s been amazing to work closely with Katherine so far and to see her so excited about moving her witty story about a no-nonsense bodyguard [for] 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.” 

There’s no release date for the movie yet, but keep coming back to Tudum for more updates on Guarding Stars.

Christmas Movies To Stream This Holiday Season
Source Images (L-R): Monica Schipper/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Related Tags

Shop Guarding Stars

Go to Netflix Shop

News

  • The Celebration Continues as Kevin Hart’s 72 Hours Holds No. 1 for a Second Week
    Plus: The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare tops the English TV list.
  • Sophie Nélisse, Roby Attal, and Francesca Reale star in Carley Fortune’s series.
  • Ella Beatty plays the infamous accused axe murderer in the series’ new season.
  • The acclaimed LGBTQ+ epic will arrive on Netflix later this year.
  • They include AD’s home tours, BuzzFeed’s “Worth It,” and many more.
  • The series from Skye Borgman and Joe Berlinger peels back the 2022 case.
  • The broadcast has Hall of Famers and Super Bowl champions heading down under.

Comedy

  • These series are hits with audiences worldwide.
  • Stream Spider-Man, Ex Machina, Home Improvement, and more before the month ends.
  • Meet the rest of the cast starring in the action comedy by Jake Szymanski.
  • Plus Badly in Love, Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy, Speed, Annie, and more.
  • Plus: Ransom Canyon makes a strong debut, and I Will Find You hits a milestone.

Popular Now

  • In FIFA World Cup: Launch Edition game, your living room becomes a stadium.