Yesterday, we brought you the news of Jake Abel being in talks to join the cast of the big screen adaptation of Twilight author Stephenie Meyer’s first adult novel published, The Host as one of the two male leads opposite Saoirse Ronan (Hanna, The Lovely Bones).

Now, Deadline reports that Max Irons (Vivaldi, Red Riding Hood) will be cast as the other male lead – for the role of Jake. Irons beat out other actors including Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones) and Jai Courtney (Spartacus: Vengeance) for the role in the film that Andrew Niccol (In Time, The Truman Show) has written and will direct.

Synopsis:

“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, 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.

The Host is slated to hit theaters on March 29th, 2013.