Stephenie Meyer, Kruger premiere 'The Host' in L.A.

Diane Kruger says she 'hadn't quite realized' how devoted Meyer's fans were until recently.
HOLLYWOOD—Werewolves and vampires? So 2012. Author Stephenie Meyer's got a far more futuristic blueprint for 2013 with The Host, her newly adapted film hitting theaters March 29.

At the movie's L.A. premiere Tuesday night, the Twilight saga's author noted the whirlwind since Breaking Dawn Part 2 bid adieu to fans last fall. "It's only been a few months, but really, so much has happened," Meyer said at the Arclight Hollywood theater, alternating interviews with signing fans' books. With Bella and Edward in her rearview mirror, Meyer's new tale, helmed by screenwriter/director Andrew Niccol (Gattica), puts an emphasis on species unknown.

In the sci-fi movie, unyielding aliens invade Earth and possess humans' bodies, coldly erasing their memories. With the world's population whittled down to just a small group of human survivors, the spotlight is on two young adults (Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons) to fight back.

"It's exciting to meet young people who have read the book and who are excited about the film," said Ronan, 18, who plays Melanie Stryder, a human invaded by an alien for the majority of the film. Ronan, who previously earned praise for films including Hanna and The Lovely Bones, said she was taken aback by the fervor surrounding The Host. "It's the first time I've been involved in a film where there's so much tension around it from the (start), really before the film's even come out or been reviewed."

Diane Kruger, whose alien character systematically hunts humans, said she "hadn't quite realized" how devoted Meyer's fans were. "Of course, I knew Twilight was big and all that, but we did a poster signing a couple of days ago here in Los Angeles and thousands of people showed up," she said on the red carpet. "I finally realized that this might be a different ball of wax. I got asked out on a date! I got gifts. It was kind of neat."

Niccol was requested specifically by Meyer to direct the film (the author says she felt included on "every major decision" with The Host, a change from the Twilight films). On the red carpet, Niccol said he "naively tried to forget about the expectations" associated with the author's work. "Because if I did start to think about it I probably wouldn't do it, because there are so many fans who love the book."
Meanwhile, Irons could give Robert Pattinson a run for his money in the heartthrob department. The 27-year-old actor (who is the son of Jeremy Irons) initially thought he didn't "stand a chance" at nabbing the role of Jared. Now fully aboard the Meyer project, "I think Stephenie would admit that this is a change in direction for her," he said. "It exists by itself."

Kruger, dressed in a sheer black Thakoon dress and futuristic silver Jimmy Choo sandals (with beau Joshua Jackson by her side as her date), said she loved the challenge of playing her first major villain. "It's really rare to have the baddie be a girl, let alone to have two really strong female characters in a movie," she said, noting Ronan's protagonist.

In The Host, the exiled humans hide out in a dim cave. What would the cast pack for an impending apocalypse? "Other than water or food? Probably a nice down blanket or pillow," laughed Kruger. Both Ronan and Meyer picked their iPods. "If I have my music I'm going to be OK," said Meyer, who plans to "lock myself in my office to finish the sequel," after The Host debuts (she is still uncertain if it will be a trilogy).

Irons voted for a bathtub and a double bed. "I'm not a tough survivor," he grinned. "I need my creature comforts."

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