Maybe it's a good thing that the casting for The Host is proving to be such a smooth, easy process, because whoever signs on to the adaptation of Stephanie Meyer'sbook is going to need time to wrap their brains around one confusing ass plot. Yesterday, Jake Abel took the lead in the race for one of the two male lead roles, and now today comes word that Max Irons has snagged the other. So what exactly is this thing about, anyway?
The Host takes place in a future where alien "souls" have taken over the Earth. These souls take over the bodies of their human hosts and erase all that they were. One such human, a rebel named Melanie Stryder(Saoirse Ronan) has been joined with a veteran soul named Wanderer. Wanderer can't completely overtake Mel, however, and becomes consumed by her emotions and desire to find her missing brother, Jamie, and love interest Jared.
Here's where it gets a little nutso. Irons is set to play Jared, Mel's long lost love and a member of one of the human resistance. If Abel signs on, he'll play Ian, a menacing rebel who first brutalizes Wanderer and then later falls in love with her. So basically what we have are two dudes in love with the same woman...only different aspects of her. Kinda. I guess it's like two women, one who loves Bruce Banner and the other who loves The Hulk. It's like a totally effed up version of Threesome, minus the sexy Lara Flynn Boyle.
Ronan has been on board since the very beginning, set to play both the Melanie and Wanderer roles. Andrew Niccol(Gattaca, In Time) was initially brought on to both write and direct, but was later replaced by Susanna White(Generation Kill). Thankfully this was short-lived and Niccol quickly regained the job.
I don't think anybody is expecting The Host to be as huge as Meyer's Twilight adaptations, but her name is definitely going to be used to hype it, along with the unconventional love triangle. Love rhombus? The Host will hit theaters on March 29th 2013. [EW]
