“Dear Laura and Lori
I would be grateful if you could distribute this statement to the fans of Twilight:I would like to address some statements that I made regarding Twilight.
When I made these comments, I had neither seen the film nor read the books. I was promoting a comedy short film that I had made for Xbox and every pop culture subject was seen as a possible comedy target. I was being silly and none of the statements were from the heart.
Of course, I have since seen the movie and read the books and was quickly consumed with the rich storytelling and the beautifully honest characters that Stephenie Meyer created.
I would like to reassure everyone involved that I am invested in making the best film that I am humanly capable of, and that I am acutely aware of the power of the original books we serve.
Please be rest assured this statement is absolutely from the heart.
yours sincerely
DAVID SLADE”
When Peter compiled his epic and useful list of directors, actors and screenwriters plugged into Twitter, one of those included was Hard Candyman David Slade. Today, however, it seems like Slade’s Twitter account has been deleted, which is a crying shame. Besides the loss of an interesting tweeter, another of the reasons this is unfortunate is that the deletion covers Slade’s tracks a little and hides a rather amusing little attack he launched on the Twilight franchise.
That being the very same Twilight franchise Slade has subsequently signed up to, and for which he will be directing the third installment, Eclipse. Oops.
So, the original Tweet might be gone but after the break we have audio of Slade ripping into Twilight and, if nothing else, its quite funny stuff… and I can’t help wondering what Summit Entertainment, the Twilight cast and Stephenie Meyer think about it? Click here to listen to the Audio inteview
I’ve interviewed David Slade before, and he’s a very smart, charismatic guy who harnesses some immense filmmaking tools. That said, I definitely thought “30 Days of Night” was a disappointment. It had a lot of fatal flaws in it, usually whenever the blood would stop flowing and it was time for us to actually start caring about the characters. “Hard Candy” also flirted with moments of brilliance, but I still feel like Slade’s best work is ahead of him.
What I am beginning to enjoy, however, is Summit’s decision to hire a different director for each film. Which is surprising, because I was definitely hoping that Catherine Hardwicke would oversee the entire series after the first “Twilight” became such a big hit. But if you’re a movie buff (and not just a Twilighter first and foremost), this is developing into a very interesting cinematic experiment.
And whereas Weitz seems likely to try and play things closer to Hardwicke’s blueprint, Slade is the kind of proudly defiant filmmaker who will want to shake things up a bit. For better or worse, the end result is going to be a trilogy of films filtered through three very different lenses. Click here to read more.
Los Angeles, CA April 22, 2009 – Summit Entertainment announced today that David Slade has been hired to direct THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE from a screenplay written by Melissa Rosenberg. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, the third film in the studio’s TWILIGHT film franchise based on the Stephenie Meyer’s blockbuster book series, will be released theatrically in North America on Wednesday, June 30, 2010. The announcement was made by Erik Feig, Summit’s President of Production.
Meyer stated, “I am thrilled that David Slade will be directing ECLIPSE. He’s a visionary filmmaker who has so much to offer this franchise. From the beginning, we’ve been blessed with wonderful directorial talent for the Twilight Saga, and I’m so happy that ECLIPSE will be carrying on with that tradition.”
Feig said, “Stephenie Meyer’s ECLIPSE is a muscular, rich, vivid book and we at Summit looked long and hard for a director who could do it justice. We believe we have found that talent in David Slade, a director who has been able to create complex, visually arresting worlds. We cannot wait to see the ECLIPSE he brings to life and brings to the fans eagerly awaiting its arrival in summer of 2010.”
Filmmaker Slade came to prominence as a director for his work on 2006’s engrossing film HARD CANDY starring Academy Award® Nominated actress Ellen Page as well as directing 2007’s genre hit 30 DAYS OF NIGHT which opened to number one at the box office its first weekend of release.
In ECLIPSE, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.
Slade is represented by William Morris Agency.
About the TWILIGHT film series
The TWILIGHT film series stars Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson and tells the story of 17-year-old Bella Swan who moves to the small town of Forks, Washington to live with her father, and becomes drawn to Edward Cullen, a pale, mysterious classmate who seems determined to push her away. But neither can deny the attraction that pulls them together…even when Edward confides that he and his family are vampires.
The action-packed, modern day vampire love story and blockbuster success the first film in the series entitled TWILIGHT was released in theatres on November 21, 2008 grossing $69.6 million domestically during its first weekend. To date the film has grossed over $380 million worldwide. The second installment of the film franchise, THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner, will be released November 20, 2009.
Melissa Rosenberg, who wrote the scripts for both TWILIGHT and NEW MOON, is currently writing the script for ECLIPSE and continues to consult with TWILIGHT book series author Stephenie Meyer.
