The Bodyguard Had an Unlikely Star for Its Sequel

Princess Diana was on the verge of becoming a movie star when she died in a 1997 car crash. According to Kevin Costner, the princess was on board to star opposite him in a sequel to 1992's The Bodyguard, which saw Costner play a former Secret Service agent protecting a pop star played by Whitney Houston. Diana, who was to take on the role "in the same kind of capacity as Whitney," even spoke to Costner about romantic scenes in a phone call initiated by "supportive" sister-in-law Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, People reports.

"I just remember her being incredibly sweet on the phone, and she asked the question, 'Are we going to have, like a kissing scene?'" Costner tells the outlet. "She was a little nervous because her life was very governed. And I said, 'Yeah, there’s going to be a little bit of that, but we can make that OK too.'" Costner mentioned Diana's interest in the project in a 2012 interview, noting her character was to be protected from stalkers and the paparazzi, per the Guardian. She was killed in a car crash involving paparazzi on August 31, 1997—the day after the first script for the film arrived on Costner's desk. (More Princess Diana stories.)