Los Angeles  - David Slade was named to direct the third movie adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's hit vampire novel series Twilight, ending months of speculation, news reports said Wednesday.

Eclipse, the third instalment in the series, is scheduled for release in June 2010, the industry paper Variety quoted Summit Entertainment studios as saying.

Slade directed the 2007 vampire flick 30 Days of Night, and the thriller Hard Candy (2004). He is the third director to try his hand at the popular vampire romance, however, script writer Melissa Rosenberg worked on all three projects.

"I am thrilled that David Slade will be directing 'Eclipse'," Twilight author Meyer said in a statement quoted by the Hollywood Reporter news site.

Twilight, the first part of the saga, which is particularly popular with female fans, directed by Catherine Hardwicke and released in 2009, grossed more than 190 million dollars at the bos office in North America alone.

When she and the studio fell out over timing issues, director Chris Weitz (The Golden Compass) stepped in to direct the sequel, New Moon, which is set to be released in the United States on November 20.

Weitz is currently shooting with Kristen Steward, Taylor Lautner, Robert Pattinson, Dakota Fanning and Michael Sheen.

Meyer's vampire saga, which comprises of four volumes, sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, Variety said. (dpa)