The wait for Jared Padalecki‘s first movie in over a decade may finally come to an end.
In his 27-year career, Padalecki has made a name for himself on the small screen, including Dean in Gilmore Girls and his most iconic role as Sam Winchester in all 15 seasons of Supernatural. Following the show’s conclusion, he starred in and executive-produced the reboot series Walker, which ran for four seasons. While he has portrayed a few supporting TV roles since then, Padalecki is now ready to lead his own romantic comedy, Guarding Stars.
The upcoming Netflix Original is based on Katherine Center’s bestselling book The Bodyguard, but was retitled to avoid confusion with the well-known Kevin Costner movie from the ’90s. While filming wrapped in March 2026, it seems that the rom-com will arrive on Netflix sooner than expected. According to What’s on Netflix, Guarding Stars is eyeing a release for late 2026, but an exact date is yet to be revealed.
Guarding Stars would mark Padalecki’s first starring movie in 17 years. Although he did the English dub for the animated movie Phantom Boy in 2015, his last on-screen movie role was Clay Miller in the Friday the 13th reboot, which was released in 2009. Following that, Padalecki invested his time portraying Sam Winchester until 2020.
However, his journey to making his first Netflix movie took a while longer, as Padalecki had a few TV roles in Fire Country, The Rookie, and The Boys season 5. In Prime Video’s superhero series, he had a cameo role as Marathon Man and reunited with his Supernatural co-stars Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins, alongside the creator of both shows, Eric Kripke.
In Guarding Stars, Padalecki portrays film star Jack Stapleton, who visits his family in Montana in light of a stalking incident. While Hannah Brooks (played by Gossip Girl‘s Leighton Meester) is hired to guard the actor, things get complicated when they pretend to be a couple during the holidays with his family. Ginny & Georgia’s Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum will direct the movie, while Padalecki’s wife, Genevieve Padalecki, is one of the producers.
In January 2026, Padalecki confirmed that he had broken his leg, which temporarily delayed filming for Guarding Stars. However, the Netflix rom-com has been in post-production since March, which could explain why the film could hit the late-2026 deadline.
Despite no exact release date, it makes sense why the film is aiming for late 2026 to perfectly align with the holiday season. Netflix has commonly set this strategy, as seen with Our Little Secret, The Holidate, and Love Hard.
While Padalecki has no developing projects beyond Guarding Stars, it may spark a whole new era for the beloved actor, and it’s only a matter of time until Netflix gifts more good news for the upcoming rom-com.
