David Slade To Direct ‘The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'

The third installment of Twilight has found its director.

David Slade will direct "Eclipse," Summit Entertainment announced in a statement released to Access Hollywood on Thursday.

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Slade, who is best known for 2006's indie Ellen Page-starring film "Hard Candy" and 2007's "30 Days Of Night," will direct a screenplay again written by Melissa Rosenberg based on the Stephenie Meyer's blockbuster book series. Summit also announced that "Eclipse" would be released in North America on Wednesday, June 30, 2010.

"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," Meyer said in a statement released to Access.

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Summit's President of Production, Erik Feig, echoed Meyer's sentiments, saying, "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."

In the third "Twilight Saga" movie, Bella (Kristen Stewart) finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is plagued by a string of mysterious killings as a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. Bella is forced to choose between her love for Edward (Robert Pattinson) and her friendship with Jacob (Taylor Lautner) — 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.

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MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Twilight - Robert Pattinson - Stephenie Meyer - Directors - Taylor Lautner

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