Kevin Costner became a big name in the industry in the late 80s with films such as The Untouchables, No Way Out, Bull Durham, and Field of Dreams. He started to have more voice in the production of his films and what kind of films he wanted to make. After his incredible directorial debut with Dances With Wolves, he continued making hits such as JFK and The Bodyguard.
The actor was a co-producer on the film and was the major force behind casting Whitney Houston in it. The Bodyguard remains one of his most beloved films and he initially planned a sequel owing to its huge success. The actor recently gave a huge revelation that he was in talks with Princess Diana to appear in the sequel and that she even had some suggestions for the film.
Kevin Costner Eyed Princess Diana To Be In The Bodyguard 2
Kevin Costner’s The Bodyguard is one of the actor’s most popular films where he starred alongside Whitney Houston. The film which chronicled the titular character played by Costner who is tasked to protect a famous singer played by Houston, became an overnight sensation, and its songs sung by Houston herself became chartbusters.
The film was a huge success at the box office, grossing $411 million against a $25 million budget (via Box Office Mojo). In a recent interview with Howard Stern, Costner revealed that he planned on doing a sequel to The Bodyguard and was in serious talks with Princess Diana to be the female lead of the film.
The actor stated that he talked to the former Princess of Wales through Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, about whether she would be interested in doing the film. She agreed to be a part of it and even suggested a kissing scene between her and Costner for the film. The actor agreed to all her suggestions and described her as a very sweet person. Costner said (via YouTube),
What had happened was, I started talking to her through Sarah [Ferguson], and I said, ‘Look, I’m gonna do Bodyguard 2 and I think I can build this around you. Would you be interested?’ And she goes, ‘Yes. My life’s about to change.’ She was very sweet and we talked. The second time we talked she said, ‘Is there going to be a kissing scene?’ I said, ‘Do you want there to be one?’ She said, ‘Yeah,’ and I said, ‘Then we’ll do that.’
Unfortunately, the princess’ tragic death in 1997 led to the cancellation of the project. As per Costner’s words, she was very happy about making a big debut in Hollywood with the film and it would have been great to see how she would have fared alongside Costner. Sadly, fans never got to see it but Costner has fond memories with the princess and loved his conversations with her.
Kevin Costner Detailed How Whitney Houston’s Casting in The Bodyguard Was Controversial
Kevin Costner was a producer on 1992’s The Bodyguard where he starred alongside Whitney Houston. In an interview with Yahoo, the actor revealed how everyone was concerned with casting a Black woman and they wanted other high-profile names that they thought would suit the role Houston played in the film.
However, Costner knew she wanted a talented female singer for the role and did not care about her skin color. The actor was confident that Houston was the perfect choice and predicted she would become an even bigger star after starring in the film. He said,
Everybody alerted me to the fact that she was Black, which I knew. That didn’t really matter to me. I just thought she was the perfect choice. So I really felt that we should go for a true singer. It didn’t matter if she was Black or white. The fact that she was Black, that didn’t matter to me. After that movie, she became, I think, one of the biggest stars in the world.
Costner even promised Houston that he would take care of her and that she would be great in the film (on The Armchair Expert Podcast). His gamble would pay off as The Bodyguard would become a huge hit and one of his most popular films to date. Fans can watch the duo’s electrifying chemistry in The Bodyguard on Apple TV+.
