Guarding Stars Trailer: Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki in a Fake-Dating Holiday Romance

Based on Catherine Center's bestselling 2022 book *Bodyguard*, Meester plays a hapless bodyguard assigned to protect Hollywood action star Jack Stapleton (Padalecki).

"Tis the season to let your guard down."

Netflix is kicking off the holiday season with the release of the trailer for its upcoming romance, Guarding Stars, starring Leighton Meester and Jared Padalecki.

Based on Catherine Senter's 2022 bestseller The Bodyguard, Meester stars as no-nonsense bodyguard Hannah Brooks, tasked with protecting Hollywood action star Jack Stapleton (Padalecki) from a burglar while he visits his family in Montana for vacation.

However, plans change when Jack Padalecki suggests the two pretend to be in a relationship so his family won't worry about his need for bodyguards. But in true fake dating romance fashion, things get complicated when the lines between fiction and reality begin to blur.

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In the trailer released Wednesday, the first interaction between Hanna and Jack is anything but cute with Jack initially asking her how he can be her protector.

"It's impossible for you to bring me down," Jack tells him. "It was so bad," he marvels.

Despite Hannah admitting that she's never seen any of his movies, and Jack telling her that he doesn't seem to "get out much," the two must learn how to move quickly with each other in order to convince her family enough to think they're a movie. A real couple.

Andy McDowell, Noah LaLonde, Walker Hayes, Toby Sandman, Rachel Uncheril, Sean Johnston, Phil Brooks and pop singer Ava Max also star in the film.

The film was directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum and written by Erin Cardillo, Richard Keith, Gina Matthews and Grant Sharbo.

"I started paying close attention to the BookTok culture around the success of Netflix's latest movie, Purple Hearts," Allen told Tudum of the Netflix movie. "The overwhelming enthusiasm on social media and from readers of the Catherine Center novel was a major factor in my decision to come on board as director. Working closely with Catherine has been amazing so far, and seeing her bring her witty story about a no-nonsense bodyguard [to] an A-list actor makes it all the more interesting in the midst of the holiday season. Even brighter."

Robin Fisichella is the executive producer. Producers include Matthews and Scharbo with Little Engine Productions and Jared and Genevieve Padalecki with Living in the Asterisk.

Guarding Stars premieres on Netflix on November 18.