David Slade Upsets Twilight Fans; World Almost Ends
Filed under: Romance, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Remakes and Sequels
Has there ever been an easier target for a quick joke than the vamp phenomenon known as Twilight? Probably not, but what do you do when one of the people taking shots is the director? Over at /Film, Brendon Connelly dug up an old interview with David Slade (the newly crowned director of the third installment of the franchise, Eclipse) which addressed the likelihood of seeing the film, saying, "Twilight drunk? No, not even drunk. Twilight on acid? No, not even on acid? Twilight at gun point? Just shoot me." So, as you can imagine, fans weren't pleased that the man in charge of the third installment in their beloved franchise found a bullet to the head preferable to spending two hours with Edward and Bella. Slade has since gone into damage control mode (probably to avoid the possibility of being attacked by glittering teens wherever he goes) and in an email to the Twilight Lexicon fan board Slade clarified that his earlier remarks were all in good fun, and that "... 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."
After the jump: the downside of fandom and why there's still hope for the franchise...
Now I've been known to make the odd snipe at Meyer's tale of love and fangs, but here's the thing that fascinates me about Twilight: It's a great example of how we all decide what is 'cool' to like and what isn't. If a friend told me they were going to ComicCon I'd be envious, but if that same friend said they were on their way to TwiCon, I'd have a very different reaction. Sure, both activities are pretty geeky, but only one of them is considered 'cool'.
I've had plenty of pop-culture crushes over the years, and given tons of credit to things that probably didn't deserve it at the time (*cough* Anne Rice *cough*), and maybe that's why I'm willing to go a little easy on the Twihards. But, I know better than most that the downside of fandom is that it can make you blind to faults that are staring you right in the face. Hopefully, Slade won't be afraid to challenge the fans when he starts work on Eclipse and who knows -- we might just end up with a better film. What do you think?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-06-2009 @ 8:20PM
BDUB said...
I think... you make a great point!
Reply
5-07-2009 @ 12:46AM
AJ Wiley said...
The best thing that could happen to this franchise is it being made my people with no respect for what has come before, and I mean that in all seriousness.
...And what's wrong with Anne Rice?!
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5-07-2009 @ 6:29AM
Kelly said...
I think the worst thing for any project is that someone that has no respect for the subject be put in charge of it's creations. I think that this is very poor judgement. Also, I see nothing wrong with the original film, and I foresee no problem with the next one. And no, I am not a teenager, I am an adult. I think the people who are coming down on the Twilight phenom are suffering from lack of imagination and perhaps just a bit of jealously.
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6-11-2009 @ 10:24AM
DAWN said...
I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU...IM A GROWN ADULT AND I LOVE TWILIGHT ( MY INNER CHILD LOL)
5-07-2009 @ 9:23AM
Kevin said...
"But, I know better than most that the downside of fandom is that it can make you blind to faults that are staring you right in the face"...like being blind enough to call going to ComicCon "cool"?
;)
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5-07-2009 @ 10:54AM
pAT said...
I almost had respect for Mr. Slade. But then I read the second paragraph. Way to kowtow dude! Keep that job, the economy's rough!
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5-07-2009 @ 11:56AM
Wexler said...
Thanks Jessica, that was pretty funny. Not a bad article either.
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5-07-2009 @ 1:58PM
Key Rick said...
Re: "I've had plenty of pop-culture crushes over the years, and given tons of credit to things that probably didn't deserve it at the time (*cough* Anne Rice *cough*), and maybe that's why I'm willing to go a little easy on the Twihards."
Having seen only one effort at filming one of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series - the abominable Hogfather - I agree in that al least somebody tried. Patchett's series turned into feature films would facilitate decades of entertainment. Must be hard to get the rights? His novels are very accessible; long as one begins with The Colour of Magic.
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5-08-2009 @ 2:21PM
Kate said...
I totally agree that the twilight fans who think the film was oscar worthy have their blinders on, but I think that these comments were pretty harsh for someone who is going to be the new director. Criticism is good, its important, and there are certainly a lot of things to be critical about in twilight, but as the director I think his criticism of the first film should be more constructive. He's definitely not winning over the hearts of fans....
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5-09-2009 @ 7:42AM
Becca said...
Does anyone remember that Sir Alec Guinness, who was brilliant as Obi-Wan Kenobi, hated the "mumbo jumbo" of Star Wars so much that he talked George Lucas into killing off his character? David Slade has every right to dislike "Twilight." However, his day in the Sun will arrive and if he is not so fortunate, the karma of his criticism (or witticism as the case may be) could hobble him. If he is fortunate, he will learn an important lesson about how his comments have the potential to offend the very fans he relies on for his ultimate success at the Box Office.
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5-11-2009 @ 8:05PM
nixd said...
I think that these comments were pretty harsh for someone who is going to be the new director. Criticism is good, its important, and there are certainly a lot of things to be critical about in twilight, but as the director I think his criticism of the first film should be more constructive. He's definitely not winning over the hearts of fans.
Reply
6-12-2009 @ 2:01AM
Christy said...
A few things. Yes, criticism is good because it can make one see faults in something. I'm not saying that Twilight was perfect by any means (I'm a die hard Twilight fan, and I too am an adult), but it offered, and still offers, certain aspects to our society that I think we need. The main thing being a love story that gets our minds off all the negative things (the recession) going on in our world today. I'll believe in David Slade when I see his work, just like I will believe in Weitz's work when I see it, and I DO LOVE Twilight because I loved how Catherine Hardwicke directed it. Not saying anything for the acting, but the the cinematography was AMAZING, and I don't care if it looked indie. It was ART. Another thing about the Saga is that each of the books has a different theme and tone to them. So naturally, each of the movies should feel a little different. Plain and simple, you don't get the full understanding for the movie unless you read the books. The one thing that Twilight fans have on our side is that Stephenie Meyer supervises EVERY film in the Saga. For me, that's enough. Whatever Steph is okay with, so I am.
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8-03-2009 @ 7:20AM
bellaB said...
I’m actually pretty sure it’s the Slade who gave his YES for Rachelle Lefevre kick out. Slade is that hard, cruel Volturi-look-a-like himself that he would never understand soft seduction, lion-like sexiness of Rachelle and would cast the totally unsexy, cold-Bryce. That’s where we are heading: cool-cold-Twilight – and not the love-story what we liked that Catherine Hardwicke created.
David Slade cannot understand anything than the violence (torture and horror, that's his genre). I haven’t seen ANY soft, sensitive directing ever from him. He didn’t even like the romantic atmosphere of Twilight, because he’s just a HARD (candy) macho, who shouldn’t be let anywhere NEAR Twilight series.
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