Director Lawrence Kasdan's The Bodyguard was a legitimate smash hit when it was released back in 1992, not only making a stunning $411 million worldwide, but also getting Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" drilled into the minds of pretty much everyone on the planet. That was a full 25 years ago, but the folks over at Lionsgate are betting on you remembering -- as you can see from this new poster for the upcoming comedy The Hitman's Bodyguard.
If that blue-tinted image looks somewhat familiar, it's because the new R-rated comedy from director Patrick Hughes is taking advantage of its familiar title and directly parodying the marketing art for The Bodyguard in its new poster -- replacing Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston with stars Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson. It's actually an incredibly detailed send-up, as the Hitman's Bodyguard actually went as far as to use the exact same background and font, changing only a pronoun in the tagline featured on the left side. Be as surprised as we were by the fidelity by checking them out side by side:
But it doesn't stop there, as this actually isn't the first time that The Hitman's Bodyguard has directly parodied The Bodyguard... and I say that recognizing that the marketing campaign for the new movie has been around for less than a full week. A few days ago the internet got its first look at the Samuel L. Jackson/Ryan Reynolds two-hander in the form of a red band trailer, and what did the footage feature on the soundtrack? If you guessed Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You," then you're goddamn right.
The ridiculous, F-bomb heavy trailer for The Hitman's Bodyguard is embedded below for your reviewing pleasure.
The Hitman's Bodyguard, which is based on a script by Tom O'Conner and has actually been in development for quite a long time, features Ryan Reynolds as an elite bodyguard who finds himself with a very strange new assignment. One of the world's greatest hitmen (Samuel L. Jackson) is set to testify in front of the International Court of Justice, but has been himself targeted for assassination. As you would expect, their personalities clash, but they wind up needing each other to stay alive. Salma Hayek, Elodie Yung, Gary Oldman and Joaquim de Almeida co-star, and the action-comedy is set to be out in theaters on August 18th. Prepare for a lot more Bodyguard parodies between now and then.
