“This is the kind of summer action film that delivers even more comedy and more thrilling action than the first film.”

Lionsgate has released the trailer for The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard with Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds and Salma Hayek reprising their roles from the 2017 action comedy. 

Directed by Patrick Hugues, The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is set four years after the events of the original, and finds the world’s most lethal odd couple – bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Jackson) – back on another life-threatening mission. Per press release, still unlicensed and under scrutiny, Bryce is forced into action by Darius’s even more volatile wife, the infamous international con artist Sonia Kincaid (Hayek). As Bryce is driven over the edge by his two most dangerous protectees, the trio get in over their heads in a global plot and soon find that they are all that stand between Europe and a vengeful and powerful madman (Antonio Banderas). Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem is Morgan Freeman as…well, you’ll have to see.

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In the original film, Kincaid agrees to testify against a dictator at the International Criminal Court in exchange for the release of his wife from jail. Reynolds plays a disgraced private bodyguard who becomes Jackson’s bodyguard as Jackson prepares to testify. The film drew mixed reviews and earned $177 million worldwide on its estimated $30 million budget. Check out the trailer for the sequel below.

“I always wanted to work with him. So, they kind of had me at hello when they said I was going to be playing with Sam,” Hayek said of Jackson in an interview with Den of Geek while promoting The Hitman’s Bodyguard in 2017. 

Jackson said in that same interview, “Somebody called me and said that they’re doing this great movie. Ryan Reynolds was attached to it. And they hadn’t told me about you [Salma Hayek] yet.. And then all of a sudden when they said ‘and you’ll be married to Salma’, I was like, ‘Oh, wow! Great!’ But they never told me, ‘oh but you’re not gonna see her,’ ” he said. “And then all of a sudden that other scene was in there where we met, and I was like ‘okay this is great’. At least I get to see her, for a while,” Jackson added.

“I was actually more anxious to work with her [Hayek] than Ryan, ‘cause I’ve known her longer,” he said.

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“Well [gestures to Hayek], she’s gorgeous. She just happens to be Mexican. And that was probably one of those things where everyone went, ‘well, I don’t know, we can’t put her with this guy, we can’t put her with that guy’, you know. But pretty works no matter what,” he continued.

The sequel was originally scheduled for release in August 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID pandemic. The title was pushed to Aug. 20, 2021, and then moved up to June 16.

Ron Schwartz, Lionsgate’s president of worldwide distribution, said in a statement: “This is the kind of summer action film that delivers even more comedy and more thrilling action than the first film — and it’s perfect for fans new to the franchise as well. The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard is what summer moviegoing is all about — great, crowd-pleasing entertainment.”

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