David Slade to direct Twilight Eclipse

British director David Slade has been announced as the director of Eclipse, the third movie in the Twilight series.

Slade began his career making music videos, before switching to film with his debut 2005/6 psychological thriller Hard Candy, which grossed a respectable $7.5 million off a $950,000 budget. His follow up, the horror flick 30 Days of Night, gained mixed reviews, but still managed $70 million off a $35 million budget. Eclipse will not only be the third in the Twilight series, but the third movie for Slade.

Twilight writer Stephanie Meyer praised the choice of Slade, saying that “He’s a visionary filmmaker who has so much to offer this franchise.” Summit’s President of Production Erik 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.”

David Slade is an interesting choice for a movie franchise that primarily appeals to teenage girls. Still, at least he has experience with vampires. Twilight Eclipse is due out in the summer of 2010.

(img credit: Wikipedia)