Saoirse Ronan Starring In Film Based On Twilight Author’s ‘The Host’
You may not realize thatTwilightauthorStephenie Meyerwrote another novel that sounds far crazier than her sparkly vampire series, butThe Hostis exactly that novel. The 2008 tale seems like a riff on Heinlein’sThe Puppet Masters(and several other stories) as it describes altruistic alien parasites called Souls (seriously) that attach themselves to host bodies — in this case humans — and then make their society all great and stuff. Imagine the monolith from2001, but far more active, and you’re probably on the right track.
The book was optioned some time ago and has beendevelopedas an indie with Stephenie Meyer offering a lot of input. Scripting isAndrew Niccol(Gattaca,Now). He was once set to direct, and likely will in fact make the film. When he does, it looks like he’ll haveSaoirse Ronanin the central role of a girl who rejects the probing tendrils of her own personal alien parasite.
Deadlinereports the casting and offers up a plot synopsis so magnificently bugfuck that my fingers detached from my hands and tapped out Ctrl-a, Ctrl-c, Ctrl-v all on their own while I watched from across the room:
Saoirse Ronan will have a bit of a challenge in the film, as she’ll play both Melanie and Wanderer. How does one play an alien parasite described as a silvery centipede? Good question, but we’ll probably end up seeing visualizations of Wanderer’s own projected consciousness. As acting challenges go, it might be pretty cool stuff, and I can see the result being worth a look for that aspect alone. (Especially if Andrew Niccol really does sign to direct.) Still…
