It’s been announced today that Andrew Niccol is back in the director’s chair for Stephenie Meyer’s The Host!

There’s been a rumor floating around as soon as Saoirse Ronan was announced to play the role of Melanie Stryder, that Niccol would be back directing.

Andrew Niccol was originally the director of the film, but had stepped down to work on another project. Susanna White was then said to be the new director for the highly anticipated film.

Deadline exclusively announced the news earlier today that it will indeed be Niccol directing the film. They also mention a little bit more on the casting of Melanie Stryder. Though it hasn’t been released by Chockstone Pictures, Andrew Niccol, or Stephenie Meyer, it does look like Saoirse Ronan could most likely be playing the role.

Here’s what they had to say:

Andrew Niccol has been set as the director of The Host, directing his scripted adaptation of the bestselling novel by Twilight Saga author Stephenie Meyer. The project, which is being shopped here at Cannes by Inferno Entertainment and producers Nick Wechsler and Steve Schwartz and Paula Mae Schwartz, will star Saoirse Ronan.After resisting overtures to sell the book, Meyer finally entrusted it with the producers, who gave her strong creative input. She chose Niccol originally because she was a fan of his film Gattaca and script for The Truman Show. While Niccol adapted the book into the current script, he exited to make the film Now, which he has completed with Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried and Cillian Murphy starring. The producers went down the road with several directors, but talks with Niccol to return started heating up in recent weeks. Ronan ramped up interest in the film when she was set to star.

Inferno’s Marc Butan, Jim Seibel and Bill Johnson are executive producers, and Roger Schwartz is co-producer. Inferno and the producers are financing the film, with Inferno kicking off foreign sales this week.“Having Andrew at the helm for us is incredibly invigorating as he truly shares Stephenie’s vision on this film,” said Kimberly Fox, Inferno’s President of International Sales. “We literally began sales this week and the response from the international community, and from domestic buyers, has been beyond our highest expectations. We expect to have every territory in the world sold out very shortly, and then it’s about getting to the exciting part of making the movie.”

Welcome back Andrew! We’re glad to see you back directing!

What do you guys think?

[Source: Deadline]