Summit Entertainment announced today that actress Bryce Dallas Howard, most recently seen in McG’s Terminator Salvation, will be replacing Rachelle Lefevre in the role of Victoria for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, the third film in the series directed by David Slade (30 Days of Night). The reason given for the casting change was Lefevre’s scheduling conflicts for another film to which she was committed.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is scheduled for release on June 30, 2010. You can read the official press release from Summit Entertainment below:
Summit Entertainment announced today that Bryce Dallas Howard will take over the role of Victoria in the studios upcoming production of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE. Actress, Rachelle Lefevre, who portrayed the character in TWILIGHT as well as the upcoming release of THE TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON, will not continue in the role due to scheduling conflicts with another commitment the actor has made. THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE will start filming in Vancouver this coming August.
THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, the third film in the studios TWILIGHT film franchise based on Stephenie Meyers blockbuster book series, will be directed by David Slade from a screenplay written by Melissa Rosenberg. The film will be released theatrically in North America on Wednesday, June 30, 2010.
We are incredibly happy that Bryce has agreed to come into the franchise, said Erik Feig, Summits 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.
Howard most recently starred in TERMINATOR SALVATION as Kate Connor and has been seen in SPIDER-MAN 3, LADY IN THE WATER, and THE VILLAGE. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her leading performance as an actress in the HBO film AS YOU LIKE IT.
In THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.
