Howard replaces Lefevre in the vampire saga "Eclipse"

Announcing Lefevre’s replacement with Howard on Tuesday, Summit said that there were scheduling problems with Lefevre that would have made her unable to participate in the production of “Eclipse”.

Reportedly, Lefevre had her involvement in the drama "Barney's Version", starring Paul Giamatti and Dustin Hoffman, but only for 10 days.

Lefevre’s reaction
Lefevre, who has played the part in the first two films, was stunned and deeply hurt.

The actress claimed that she wasn’t aware of the fact that Summit Entertainment has replaced her with someone else to play her role in the upcoming vampaire saga, “Eclipse”.

Retorting to being left out, Lefevre said, “Given the length of filming for ‘Eclipse’, never did I fathom I would lose the role over a 10-day overlap.”

She further said, "Although the production schedule for ‘Eclipse’ is over three months long, Summit said they had a conflict during those 10 days and would not accommodate me."

Summit’s side of the story
However, the Summit had issued a statement later on that the actress did not inform it in time that she would take 10 days off for another commitment.

It said, "Ms. Lefevre took a role in the other film that places her in Europe during the required rehearsal time, and at least ten days of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse's principal photography.

"This period is essential for both rehearsal time with the cast, and for filming at key locations that are only available during the initial part of production."

Based on the third book in Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" saga, "Eclipse" will begin filming in Vancouver in August.