Irons lands leading role in Meyer’s The Host

The 26-year-old son of veteran Jeremy Irons has beat out Miley Cyrus’ boyfriend Liam Hemsworth and Game of Thrones star Kit Harington for the part.

Irons will play Saoirse Ronan’s boyfriend, Jared, who falls in love with both her free spirit character Melanie and the alien who takes control of her soul, Wanderer in the new movie.

Director Andrew Niccol tells People magazine, “Stephenie was very involved (in the casting)… It’s a love story on a grand scale.”

The movie, based on the 2008 science fiction novel, also features Diane Kruger as Seeker, a space invader sent to Earth to regulate the takeover of humans.