The director of LINDSAY LOHAN's new movie THE CANYONS is rethinking the film's release after Sundance Film Festival bosses opted not to feature it during their 10-day independent cinema event.

Paul Schrader insists it will be months before he'll let critics and film fans see the movie, which co-stars Lohan and adult actor James Deen, because he fears the project will be unfairly savaged because of the embattled Mean Girls star's involvement.

He says, "The intense reactions to (Lohan's 2012 TV movie) Liz and Dick and the Times Mag (magazine) article have made us realize that there will be an immediate blowback once The Canyons is publicly screened... That's the nature of anything involving Lindsay."

He adds, "In a way it's good we're not at Sundance. We weren't prepared, we weren't organized."

But Schrader insists his decision to stall screenings have nothing to do with the quality of the movie: "The film is very good. I have no qualms about that."