Back in March 2011 I reported exclusively that Jennifer Lawrence was the first choice to play Katniss in The Hunger Games. At one point however, they were also interested in Saoirse Ronan, particularly after her performance in Hanna (click here for a refresher) but that she would have to really, REALLY dazzle producers to take the job away. That obviously didn’t happen and Ronan went on to win the lead role in The Host, Stephenie Meyer’s follow-up to Twilight, at that time a reasonably coveted part...
Until Tris Prior came along in Divergent.
Timing sucks, doesn’t it?
For many of you, Ronan IS Tris. But seeing as she already committed to the lead in The Host, another potential dystopia franchise, straddling both was impossible. And now it’s Shailene Woodley who will be Dauntless. Classic Hollywood Sliding Doors moment.
The first trailer for The Host was released earlier this week. I didn’t read the book so I don’t know how well this reflects the source material but from an uninitiated viewer’s perspective, um, this doesn’t look so good. And it certainly doesn’t seem like it will stand up next to The Hunger Games or Divergent which makes it all even more disappointing. That Saoirse couldn’t be Tris because of something that might be lesser. Then again, Twilight became a phenomenon on a low quality product so...
Interestingly enough, from the 2 minute preview, Ronan does appear to have strong chemistry with her Host love interest Max Irons who broke up with Emily Browning at some point during filming. My smutty senses are tingling. Are my smutty senses full of sh-t?
Here are Ronan and Irons with co-star Jake Abel at the Twilight 5 premiere the other night and Ronan shooting scenes for The Host last night.
