Twilight Cast Change: Bryce Dallas Howard Replaces Rachelle Lefevre

Twilight fans were surprised by the announcement that Rachelle Lefevre will be replaced by Bryce Dallas Howard in the third movie in the series Eclipse.  Lefevre played the role of villain Victoria, who hunts and tries to kill Bella to avenge the death of her beloved James.

Rachelle Lefevre (who threw a wicked curve ball in Twilight) appeared with the cast of New Moon last week in San Diego at the exclusive Twilight screening.  Summit Entertainment attributed the cast change to a scheduling conflict, and Lefevre is slated to appear opposite Dustin Hoffman in the indie drama Barney's Vision, which begins filming August 17 in Rome.

Bryce Dallas Howard is the red headed daughter of director Ron Howard, and she has appeared in Terminator Salvation, Spider Man 3, The Lady in the Water and The Village. "We are incredibly happy that Bryce has agreed to come into the franchise," said Erik Feig, Summit’s President of Worldwide Production and Acquisitions. "Rachelle brought 'Victoria' to great screen life and Bryce will bring a new dimension to the character. The franchise is lucky to have such a talented actress as Bryce coming in to fill the role."

Rob Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and the rest of the Eclipse crew begin rehearsal next week and filming in Vancouver on August 17.