Author Stephanie Meyer’s project outside of the Twilight Saga, The Host, a sci-fi/thriller/romance, came out back in 2008 amongst a great deal of hype and of course, it is now slated to become a film as well. Originally Andrew Niccol, the Academy Award nominated and BAFTA Award winning writer/director (notable works include Gattaca and Lord of War, as well as writing The Truman Show) was slated to both write and direct as Meyer was a huge fan of Gattaca, but now is scheduled only to write the script. Booked to direct instead is Susanna White, whose sole major film credit is Nanny McPhee / Nanny McPhee Returns, but White seems more than qualified for the job; she was nominated for an Emmy for her BBC adaption of Jane Eyre and won a BAFTA for her work on the drama series Bleak House. The most exciting casting for the film by far is that for the dual role of the two main characters Wanda and Mel Stryder, with Saoirse Ronan scheduled to play both parts. With a critically-acclaimed and award nominated role in Atonement in 2007, Ronan has gone on to lead one of the most successful careers for her age bracket in Hollywood and the world over, going on to star in The Lovely Bones as well as roles in The Way Back and a lead role in the recently released Hanna alongside Cate Blanchett. With such a team, The Host will probably prove not only to be a blockbuster box office performer, but will receive a fair share of awards as well, though only time will tell.
