Ever since joining this site, I have come across many dream casts forums, but nothing that would qualify as a casting call for the forthcoming movie adaptation. I understand that we all have our own personal preferences or fantasies from our reading experience; however, these ideas aren’t always the most realistic or take into account the whole description of the characters.

For instance, I imagined Ian looking like my long-time boyfriend (they have similar personalities) and Melanie as a young Elisha Dushku (as from her days on Buffy and Bring It On). While I was reading the novel, these ideas were perfectly fine because it was my imagination, but they would never work for the soon-to-be-filmed movie. One, my boyfriend cannot act and he has dirty blonde hair. Two, Dushku is now 29 and looks too old to play a 20-21 year old.

So, I’m challenging everyone to put their dream casts aside and really think about who could be cast to play each part for The Host movie adaptation that will probably start filming late this year or sometime in 2011. To do this, you need to take into account the majority of the character description--including how old they presently look and their height compared to rest of the cast--just as Stephenie Meyer, Nick Weschler, Steve and Paula Mae Schwartz will do during the real casting call. Wouldn’t it be cool if we got some of the picks right?!

Character Descriptions:

1. Melanie/Wanda - 20-21 years old; dark brown or mahogany hair; muddy green hazel eyes; light brown tan that never fades; tall with athletic build.

2. Pet/Wanda - 16 almost 17 years old; wavy blond hair; silver eyes; round face with fair skin and freckles; very petite; the shortest one in the rebel cell except for the children.

3. Ian - 25 years old (stated by Meyer in an interview); black hair; vivid blue eyes; straight nose; very fair skin; tall, muscular, and strong; "kind enough to be a soul but strong as only a human could be.”

4. Jared - 29-30 years old; hair a few shades darker than his light golden brown skin with golden streaks; dark eyes with flex of gold (liquid sienna); hard rectangular face with long, thin nose, and full lips; was sweet and excitable but bitter after Mel's capture.

5. Jamie - recently turned 14; silky, unkempt black hair to his chin; chocolate eyes; sun-darkened skin; thin and wiry body; kind and open minded.

6. Uncle Jeb - probably late 50s-60s; white hair and thick beard; faded blue jean eyes; wrinkled skin with big cleft-tipped nose and wide cheekbones; “crazy like a fox.”

7. Doc - light brown or dark blond hair; long slender body with thin features; one of the tallest in the rebel cell; compassionate and emotional.

8. Kyle - 30 years old; looks like Ian but bigger and has a crooked nose; tallest person in the rebel cell; usually aggressive and angry.

9. Sunny - 27 years; long black curly hair; tanned skin; tiny like a girl but subtle curves to show that she is a woman; sweet and shy.

10. Seeker/Lacey - black hair to her chin; olive-toned skin; very small; irritable.

11. Sharon - deep red hair; she and her mother Maggie are easily annoyed and like drama.

12. Aunt Maggie - dark gray rather than white hair; mass of wrinkles.

13. Lily - probably at least 5-10 years older than Wes; caramel-skinned woman; dry sense of humor; never ruffled by others.

14. Wes - 19 years; bristly black hair that stands up like steel wool; olive-toned skin; shy.

15. Walter - pallid man with white hair; sick and easily tired but cheerful.

16. Trudy - salt and pepper braid.

17. Geoffrey - balding; red-cheeked.