MATTHEW LOPEZ, the Tony-nominated playwright of “The Inheritance,” has been hired to write a reimagining of the iconic Whitney Houston film “The Bodyguard” at Warner Bros.

The new movie will be inspired by the 1992 romantic drama, which starred Houston and Kevin Costner. The original grossed more than US$400 million at the worldwide box office and has what is considered the best-selling movie soundtrack of all time, with several chart-topping original songs from Houston.

Lawrence Kasdan of Kasdan Pictures, and Dan Lin and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback are producing the new film. Rideback’s Nick Reynolds will executive-produce. Kasdan was the writer-producer of the original. Lin has been attached to the property since 2011, which has seen delirious speculation over the potential lead cast for years. Combos from Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson to Channing Tatum and Cardi B have been floated. No cast has been set for Lopez’s script at this stage.

“The Inheritance” premiered at London’s Young Vic in 2018, where it was hailed as “the most important American play of the century.” It transferred to the West End later that year, and opened on Broadway in the fall of 2019.

The show has received the Olivier Award, Drama Desk Award, Evening Standard Theatre Award, London Critics’ Circle Award, Outer Critics Circle Award, Drama League Award, GLAAD Media Award, WhatsOnStage Award and the South Bank Sky Arts Award. Lopez is the first American Latine writer to win any of these awards for best play.

Lopez’s Off Broadway work includes “The Whipping Man” and “The Legend of Georgia McBride.” Other works include “Somewhere” and “Reverberation,” “The Sentinels” and “Zoey’s Perfect Wedding.” Lopez is currently co-writing the musical adaptation of the classic film “Some Like It Hot.”

In October 2020, he signed an overall television development deal with Amazon Studios. He is also scripting a feature film adaptation of the novel “Leading Men,” which centers on the “A Streetcar Named Desire” and “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” scribe Tennessee Williams and his longtime partner Frank Merlo. Luca Guadagnino and Peter Spears are producing that project for Searchlight.(SD-Agencies)