The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard Director Details How He Took the Sequel to New Heights

As the title implies, the sequel The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard adds another core component to the ensemble, integrating Salma Hayek's character from The Hitman's Bodyguard into a more substantial dynamic alongside co-stars Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, but the premise wasn't the only ways in which the sequel takes things to a new level, with director Patrick Hughes recently detailing how he wanted to amplify the stakes of the adventure. While the action of the new film was heightened from its predecessor, Hughes also noted that the laughs were taken to a new level, thanks to the encouragement of Reynolds. The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard hits theaters on June 16th.

"The original script was more like a straight action film and then when I met with Ryan, I was like, 'Dude, this has gotta be a comedy,' and he was like, 'Yeah, I know, I agree.' So I went off and did development on that script and with number two, we are in that sweet spot," Hughes revealed to ComicBook.com. "We know what it is. I felt like I wanted to turn the dials on that up a notch and it's just two rules: one is that Ryan has to suffer and the second is that we have to subvert every single moment of the film and throw a million handbrakes into the storyline and the movie. It's a lot of fun on that aspect and I think the stunts are bigger and the action is bigger and the brash, obnoxious humor is bigger."

In the new film, "The world's most lethal odd couple – bodyguard Michael Bryce (Reynolds) and hitman Darius Kincaid (Jackson) – are back on another life-threatening mission. 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 total chaos. Joining in the fun and deadly mayhem are Antonio Banderas as a vengeful and powerful madman and Morgan Freeman as… well, you'll have to see."

Hughes went on to note just how excited all of the cast members were to lean into the action, though he admitted that Hayek brought a unique and delightful energy to the experience.

"She's just this wonderful ball of creative energy that's like, 'Wooooo!' And I said this to Salma, so it's not breaking news, but she's crazy, in a good way," the filmmaker joked. "That's the crazy I like. But I need her to play someone that's completely crazy and I think that's the fun with this genre. My job is sometimes ... we've got Antonio Banderas, we've got Morgan Freeman, Frank Grillo's in the movie, Richard E. Grant. It's just trying to wrangle all these actors together, at the same time you've got to wrangle some sort of crazy, batsh-t stunt that's going to blow up or something. So it's a lot of spinning plates, I won't lie. it's incredibly exhausting. I usually fall asleep face down with my clothes on every night, and that's no joke."

The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard hits theaters on June 16th.

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