When discussing Twilight with rational people, it's often explained to me that they understand that Stephanie Meyer writes at a kindergarten level, but they are engrossed by the relationships between the characters (not the characters themselves, mind you), which, for unknown reasons, is addicting. With this in mind, I've always wondered how Twilight fans would have the same reaction to non-Twilight related Meyer books. Now I'll have the chance to find out.

Variety is reporting that Susanna White has been hired to direct the adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight follow-up, The Host. Based on a script by Andrew Niccol, the story is about a young girl who is "inhabited by a benevolent alien soul after an invasion of Earth" (so I take it we're giving up on subtlety when it comes to religious subtext now?) White's only previous directing credit is the Nanny McPhee sequel that came out last year, which received positive marks from critics.

News about the adaptation first broke back in September 2009, and I must say that I'm surprised how long it's taken to get moving. With the popularity of the Meyer brand you'd think it would be a priority for any studio. We'll be sure to post more updates on the project as we hear about them.