‘Twilight’ fans set for new world of aliens

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 series, The Host, hits the big screen.

Fans of the Twilight saga franchise have been eagerly anticipating Meyer’s next offering on the big screen, The Host, which will be in Irish cinemas from Mar 29.

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.

“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,” said Ms Meyer.

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

The five Twilight films, based on Meyer’s best-selling novels, grossed over $3.3bn (€2.5bn) at the global box office.

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

The Host 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 she has plots in mind for follow-on books and hoped this would become a trilogy, both in book form and on screen.

In the film, Saoirse Ronan plays Melanie Stryder, a human who is taken over by a Soul called Wanda.

Ronan, who starred in The Lovely Bones and was nominated for a best supporting actress Oscar for Atonement, said that 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,” the Irish actress said on the red carpet.

Co-star 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,” he said.