Stephenie Meyer isn’t only good (bad?) for churning out “Twilight” books, you know. The author actually released a non-sparkly vampire yarn called THE HOST in 2008. To no one’s surprise, THE HOST is coming to the big screen real soon.
The project has some intriguing names attached; Andrew Niccol, the brain behind THE TRUMAN SHOW and GATTACA, has written the screenplay for the adaptation, and now Oscar-nominated actress Saoirse Ronan has signed on to star. Ronan is currently recognizable as the feistiest little assassin HANNA; she got her Oscar nod for her work in ATONEMENT when she was just 13 years of age, while a few years later she nabbed the lead in Peter Jackson’s THE LOVELY BONES. The lass has “next big thing” scribbled all over her.
THE HOST‘s synopsis:
Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact and continue their lives apparently unchanged. Most of humanity has succumbed.
When Melanie, one of the few remaining “wild” humans is captured, she is certain it is her end. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, was warned about the challenges of living inside a human: the overwhelming emotions, the glut of senses, the too vivid memories. But there was one difficulty Wanderer didn’t expect: the former tenant of her body refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.
Weird…
Ronan will play both Melanie and Wanderer, although who directs the performances is still up in the air. Niccol was going to direct THE HOST but left to helm NOW, starring Justin Timberlake, although he’s apparently still a possibility to come back to the Meyer film. (Susanna White was briefly involved, but it looks like that fell through.) The project is being overseen by a few of the key producers behind THE ROAD, which lends this flick some more clout.