Entertainment Weekly got the scoop that William Hurt is in talks to play Uncle Jeb in The Host. That means that he is not 100% confirmed to be in the film, but they are probably negotiating contracts and such. EW says:
“Hurt would play the pivotal role of Jeb, eccentric uncle to Saoirse Ronan’s Melanie Stryder, whose brain is hijacked by the soul of an alien being known as Wanderer. Jeb is one of the grizzled leaders of the human survivalists fighting the alien invasion.”
I do not think anyone had suggested William Hurt as Uncle Jeb in our Cast This poll. Regardless, William Hurt is a fantastic actor. He was most recently seen in the TV show Damages, and films like The Incredible Hulk, Into the Wild, and The Yellow Hankerchief. He has been nominated for several Oscars and won a Best Actor Oscar in 1986 for Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Max Irons, Saoirse Ronan, and Jake Abel have already been cast in the film. Andrew Niccol is directing the film.
