Scorned Twilight vampiress is really upset

Yesterday we learned Rachelle LeFevre had been fired by Summit and replace by Ron Howard's daughter as Victoria for the purpose of the last two Twilight movies. The story is here. Summit said it was due to the ever-occurring "scheduling conflicts." Rachelle does not agree with that assessment. People has this:

"Twilight fans weren't the only ones surprised by the news that Bryce Dallas Howard was replacing Rachelle Lefevre on the third film Eclipse. "I was stunned," says Lefevre in a statement. "I was fully committed to the Twilight saga." Lefevre, who played villain Victoria in the first Summit Entertainment-produced film and its upcoming sequel New Moon, said she turned down "several other film opportunities" and accepted only roles with short shooting schedules to make time for Eclipse. "I am hurt deeply by Summit's surprising decision to move on without me," she says. Summit said the actress was leaving because of a scheduling conflict with her upcoming film Barney's Version, which begins filming the same day as Eclipse. But Lefevre says her commitment to the indie film was only less than two weeks. "Given the length of filming for Eclipse, never did I fathom I would lose the role over a 10 day overlap." "I was happy with my contract with Summit and was fully prepared to continue to honor it," she adds. "Summit chose simply to recast the part. I am greatly saddened that I will not get to complete my portrayal of Victoria for the Twilight audience." Lefevre, however, says she "will be forever grateful to the fan support and loyalty" and "I wish the cast and crew of Eclipse only the very best."

But Summit is firing back. According to EW, "The studio has released a detailed timeline of their interactions with Lefevre’s representatives, attesting that it advised them back in April that The Twilight Saga: Eclipse would start shooting in early August. However, according to Summit, the studio wasn’t informed of Lefevre’s commitment to appear in the film Barney’s Version until July 20, even though she had accepted the role in early June.  ”Summit had acted in good faith that she would be available to fulfill her obligations both in terms of rehearsals and shooting availability for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” says the statement. “We feel that her choice to withhold her scheduling conflict information from us can be viewed as a lack of cooperative spirit which affected the entire production.” The studio contends that her conflicting role not only have taken her away from days of principal photography, but also from the required rehearsal time for the third Twilight film. “Contrary to Ms. Lefevre's statement, it is simply untrue that the Studio dismissed her over a ten day overlap. It is not about a ten day overlap, but instead about the fact that The Twilight Saga: Eclipse is an ensemble production that has to accommodate the schedules of numerous actors while respecting the established creative vision of the filmmaker and most importantly the story.” “Ms. Lefevre’s commitment to the other project – which she chose to withhold from Summit until the last possible moment – makes her unfortunately unavailable to perform the role of Victoria in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.”

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