David Slade, the recently-named director of the third movie in the Twilight franchise, is in deep trouble with his fans. Depending on the source, he either said the following in a radio interview or on his now-defunct Twitter account: “Twilight drunk? No, not even drunk. Twilight on acid? No, not even on acid? Twilight at gun point? Just shoot me.”

Now, after fans of Twilight jumped down his throat at the mere hint that there was something to criticize about the franchise, he has issued an apology to Twilight Lexicon, which is apparently the go-to place for all things Twilight on the internet.

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.

[from Twilight Lexicon]

David Slade is a music video director, and he has also done some films, but he is relatively nameless in the movie world. Though Twilight may not be one of his cinematic masterpieces, it will certainly put his name on the map. He doesn’t want to go around pissing off fans and ruining his chances at getting a name for himself. He needs to be careful – those Twilight fans are intense.

In other Twilight news, filming has started on the second movie, with Dakota Fanning.

Here’s David Slade at the Los Angeles premiere of ’30 Days of Night’ at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in October 2007. Images thanks to WENN.com .