The Host now has an official Facebook page!  Head on over to http://www.facebook.com/thehostmovie to “like” their page.

Along with the new Facebook page, we also have our first glimpse of the banner art they are using to promote the film.  The title is pretty standard except for the “O” is enlarged and bright.

Remember that hint Stephenie Meyer gave about a chance for fans to be a part of The Host?  Well, that has revealed itself on the Facebook page as fans can be a part of the first trailer.  You can submit a photo of yourself following certain specifications and you might end up being in the trailer.  Very cool!  You must “like” the Facebook page to access the information.  I did notice the email that you are supposed to send the picture to is for TheHostTheFilm.com, but there is nothing on that webpage yet.

I hope everyone has the chance to make it into the first movie trailer!

Update (2/18/12) – I noticed that Stephenie Meyer updated her website to confirm that that the thing she was hinting at in her previous post was the Trailer Contest.  Along with that she posted another version of the above banner, except that it is a rectangular and horizontal.

Open Road Films (the domestic distributor for the film) added a Coming Soon page for The Host.  The page lays out the details of the film, such as who is involved, a synopsis, and shooting dates.  It states that shooting will occur between February and April 2012 in New Mexico and Louisiana.  Alas, no new cast members are listed on the page.  Below is the synopsis:

“THE HOST, published in 2008, was Stephenie Meyer’s highly anticipated follow-up to the wildly popular and acclaimed Twilight series. The book was #1 on The New York Times Bestseller List for 26 weeks and continues to be an international phenomenon.

THE HOST is a riveting story about the survival of love and the human spirit in a time of war. Our world has been invaded by an unseen enemy. Humans become hosts for these invaders, their minds taken over while their bodies remain intact. Most of humanity has succumbed. When Melanie (Saoirse Ronan), 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.

When outside forces make Wanderer and Melanie unwilling allies, they set off on a dangerous and uncertain search for the man they both love.”

On Location Vacations and a fan, Jordan Grace, have potentially spotted The Host filming outside of the studio.  Sorry, no pictures.  A production was seen filming near the flood walls on Airline Dr. in New Orleans on Monday (February 13, 2012) that may have been The Host.

Jordan Grace (@Jgrace504) reported to OLV that:

the movie filming in yesterday at Winn Dixie was “host” they were filming on the flood walls off airline

Maybe we will see them shooting outside the studio after all.

The Independent interviewed Paul Ronan, Saoirse Ronan’s (Melanie) father yesterday about his role as a manager for his daughter, who turns 18 on April 12 and recently won Best Actress at the IFTAS for ‘Hanna’. He speaks here about reading the scripts before she is allowed to as a way to protect her, not only as her manager, but as her father.

“Because Saoirse is close to 18 now, directors have suddenly started to send her more adult scripts. But some of them are just too inappropriate.

“I was sent one recently, which not only had scenes I wouldn’t let Saoirse do, it was so bad I wouldn’t even let her read the script.”

He commented on how this script was even more surprising because it was a director who Ronan has worked with before. He went on to say,

“I rang the director and said forget it. The script was amazing — but there are more important things than scripts. You’ve got to raise a child as well…

“As parents, we have to watch out for Saoirse. Things happen in their own good time. We didn’t want to rush anything by making the wrong choice, no matter how good a script or movie might be. In a few years’ time, Saoirse might say, I would love to do this script, but definitely not now.”

I think this is such a great thing. When you look at what has happened to so many of the U.S.’s child-actors and how often parents use their children in show business as a meal ticket, I find it refreshing to see a parent who takes his job seriously and looks out for the well-being of his daughter first and foremost. American parents could take a lesson from Mr. and Mrs. Ronan.

I thought I would write up a little note since today is such a milestone for The Host.  I began a Twitter account for this project way back in September 2009 when it was first announced that the novel would become a film.  There was not much news on this film for a very long time.  The film even went through a director change and then Andrew Niccol stepped back into that role.  It was really exciting to hear when Saoirse Ronan was officially the first cast member of The Host.  Each cast announcement after that brought excitement and knowing the project was getting ever closer to starting to film.

I believe that most of the filming that is occuring in Louisiana are interior shots, so I don’t think we will be getting many photos of the actors at work.  Everything is under lock and key right now and that is understandable.  Maybe once filming moves to New Mexico, we will be able to see some exterior shots.  I don’t plan on posting paparazzi photos of cast members as they venture out around town, unless this is the first time we are seeing them at all.  Who knows how they look right now?  I will be refraining from pap pictures as much as I can.

Stephenie Meyer did allude to something still in the works for the fans of The Host.  I can’t wait to find out what it is.

So after over two years working on The Host Movie News, it feels like everything is starting to come full circle.  Being the novice at web design or doing anything like this on my own, there have been growing pains.  I was very fortunate to pick up Johanna as a second contributer to this site and she has helped make this endeavor even better.  I was also happy to find a great web designer, Nicole Smith, who made this site look awesome.

Thanks to all The Host fan sites who have helped us or reached out to us.  Please find the links to their sites in my “Worthy Links” area to the right.  A lot of them are international, which is great because I can’t write in any other language.

Thanks again to everyone who has visited the site.  We are about to embark on a exciting adventure as we see The Host come to fruition between now and March 29, 2013.

–Sarah

There is an ad that is currently on Craigslist that is looking for a stand-in for William Hurt (Uncle Jeb).  The ad is by the same company, RPM Casting, that advertised for extras for the film.   Part of the ad is below:

“The feature film, THE HOST, will be shooting in Baton Rouge and New Orleans from February to April.
We’ll need a stand-in/ double for the actor William Hurt to work almost continually for the month of March on stage in Baton Rouge.
We need a Caucasian man, 6’2″, balding/ light blonde hair. 37 x 30 Pants, 17 x 35 Shirt, 44 Jacket”

If you would like to apply and fit the description, you can go to Craigslist for the full ad and the contact information.

In a rare occassion, Stephenie Meyer updated her official website with news about all three projects she has going on right now.  Filming on The Host begins one day before we originally reported.  It now begins Monday, February 13, 2012. ((TWO DAYS!))

She talks about all those involved and getting ready to shoot.  She also announced that Frances Fisher will be playing Maggie.  Frances has been in many, many projects, but is probably known by you all as Rose’s mother in Titanic.  I am beyond belief that we are getting such a stellar cast for the film.

The caves are apparently well on their way to being completed and she says they look amazing.

Stephenie also teased at some fan involvement:

First, a little tease: check back to this page soonish, as I will have some very exciting news to share about upcoming chance for you to get involved with The Host. Stay tuned!

Stephenie does not plan on getting back to writing until May, when everything is done filming and pretty much everything is set with her current projects.

Things are very under wraps so I doubt we will be getting any tweets or pictures about the filming process.  There are still some cast members that need to be announced, so hopefully that will happen soon.

Please check out Stephenie Meyer’s website for her full account on what is going on with The Host.   Thanks, Stephenie!

Saoirse Ronan (Melanie) has signed on for a new Disney flick, “Order of Seven”. It was originally supposed to be a imagining of “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”, but with the release this year of not one, but two different “Snow White” stories, they thought better of this idea. As a result, they have completely reworked the script in order to cut all ties to the original fairy tale.

The story will take place in 19th century Hong Kong, where Ronan will play a British ex-pat. She seeks refuge with an old order of warriors who are dealing with the return of an evil empress. The cast will consist of Russian, Chinese, and Japanese actors, and executives are already traveling to these locations to start recruiting.

This will be Michael Gracey’s first time directing. Previously he has worked on commercials and supervised visual effects. He is the latest in a long line of directors who have been attached to this project. Andrew Gunn (“Race to Witch Mountain” and “Freaky Friday”) is producing. The latest version of the script was written by Jayson Rothwell and Michael DeBruyn.

One source seemed surprised, yet pleased with all the action leads Ronan has taken on lately, referring to her as “Ireland’s answer to Chuck Norris”. I admit, I chuckled when I read that reference, but I’ve also been impressed by her work so far and am excited to see where the future will take this Irish girl.

Source 1       Source 2

Byzantium is a film Saoirse Ronan had been filming prior to moving on to The Host (which if the dates are correct starts filming in five days).  The first official still for the film has been released.  Saoirse costars with Gemma Arterton, and they both play vampires.  There is no release date yet.  Synopsis from Bloody Disgusting:

“On the run for murder, two young “sisters” arrive penniless at an English seaside town. Clara is a fiercely modern woman who has her eyes on the future and no time for the past. Teenager Eleanor is shy and innocent. Yet they both hide the same secrets: they are really mother and daughter, and they are both … vampires!

Eleanor is exhausted by 200 years on the run and desperate to settle down. But little does she know that her mother has been protecting her all of the years from their own kind, “The Brotherhood”. To escape them, they must either blend in or continue running away. But just as they think they may have escaped, their past rapidly catches up with them.”

Photo Source: Saoirse Ronan Web

@LaHuesped_Esp (The Host en Español) found a tweet by The O’Neill Sisters (@ONeillSisters) where they announced that they were joining ‘The Host’ project. They included a link to their facebook post about it, as well.

“Excititng news we are going to be apart of the new movie The Host by Twilight author Stephanie Meyer which stars one of our own great Irish actresses Saoirse Ronan!!!YAY!!”

These sisters (Fiona, Naomi, and Evangeline) form a band from the county of Kerry, Ireland and they sing Pop, Folk, and Country style music. There was a comment after the above post asking if they were going to be acting or singing for the movie, but as of this point they have yet to answer that question.

Thanks for the heads up, @LaHuesped_Esp!

Update: I just checked the links again and it looks like both their facebook post and tweet have been removed. If anyone is still seeing them, let me know, but it seems the girls may have jumped the gun on their announcement.