Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Twilight author Stephanie Meyer hoping to lure vampire fans to The Host

 

Piya Sinha-Roy
Wednesday 20 March 2013 12:22 GMT
Comments
Author Stephanie Meyer at The Host premiere
Author Stephanie Meyer at The Host premiere (Rex Features)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Author Stephanie Meyer is hoping her vampire fans will be willing to step into a new world and embrace aliens as the first film of her new book series, The Host, hits the big screens.

Fans of the successful Twilight Saga box office franchise have been eagerly anticipating Meyer's next offering on the big screen with The Host out in US cinemas on 29 March.

But Meyer, speaking at the film's red carpet premiere in Los Angeles, said the new film may not be what fans of the popular vampire series expect from her.

"If (fans) go into it wanting a repeat of Twilight they probably will not be thrilled, because it is not. It is a very different kind of story," Meyer said.

"I think if they are willing to go on a new ride with me and try out something a little different than I think they will really like it."

The five Twilight films, based on Meyer's best-selling novels, focus on a love story between a vampire and a human and grossed more than $3.3 billion at the global box office, according to movie sales tracking website BoxOfficeMojo.com.

The films, which attracted a devoted teenage following, launched lead stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner into A-list fame.

The Host, adapted from Meyer's novel of the same name, explores a post-apocalyptic world where alien beings called Souls invade Earth and take over human bodies and minds, causing conflicting emotions between the two beings in the same body.

Meyer has already said that she has plots in mind for follow-on books and hoped this would become a trilogy, which would open the way for sequel films.

In The Host, Irish-American actress Saoirse Ronan, 18, plays human Melanie Stryder who is taken over by a Soul called Wanda.

Ronan, who starred in The Lovely Bones and was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscars for Atonement, said she enjoyed the challenge of switching between two personalities.

"I really enjoyed playing Melanie because the majority of the film I am playing Wanda, who is quite a pure, serene and understanding character," said Ronan on the red carpet.

British actor Max Irons, 27, the son of Irish actress Sinead Cusack and English actor Jeremy Irons, plays Melanie's love interest Jared Howe.

He said the film's complex story touched many different genres, appealing to more than just Twilight fans.

"It is a science fiction movie at heart, it is a story of human survival. Yes, it has the romance, but I think it has a lot more for a lot of different people," said Irons.

Diane Kruger, Jake Abel and William Hurt also star in The Host, directed by Andrew Niccol. The film is distributed in the United States by Open Road Films, a joint venture between theater owners Regal Entertainment Group and AMC Entertainment Inc..

Reuters

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in