Wait, doesn’t that ruin the whole story line? So, New Moon isn’t the end for Victoria, but it is the end of the Twilight franchise for our favorite redhead, Rachelle Lefevre. The world of Twilight fans was absolutely rocked late Tuesday as word spread that the role of  Victoria has been recast for Eclipse. The first reaction was that this could not possibly be true. We’ve all seen the interviews where Rachelle talks about how much she loves this part. You cannot forget a woman saying that she’s looking forward to fighting Edward and being beheaded! As recently as last Thursday at Comic Con she was speaking of the role with incredible gusto. One wonders if she knew this was coming?

But of course, this was not one of those unsubstantiated rumors that like to run rampant through the fandom. Summit Entertainment issued a press release saying that the role will be taken over in Eclipse by yet another famous redhead, Bryce Dallas Howard.

“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.”

The studio goes on to say that the change is “due to scheduling conflicts with another commitment the actor has made.” Rachelle is set to film Barney’s Vision, which begins production on the same day as Eclipse. While I find it hard to believe that she would have walked away from this role, I think I speak for all Twilight fans when I say that we wish her the best. I am sure that she has a long career ahead of her with millions of new fans who came to know her as Victoria. She will certainly be missed.

On the other hand, the addition of Bryce seems to be just one more coup for the Twilight franchise. It’s hard to believe that what began as a low-budget film, with a studio and actors unsure of its reception, can now boast the likes of Dakota Fanning and Michael Sheen. Although Bryce may be most recognizable as the daughter of actor/director Ron Howard and actress Cheryl Howard, she certainly has some big films to her credit. Most recently she starred in Terminator Salvation, not to mention her roles in Spider-Man 3, Lady in the Water and The Village. I am very interested to see what she brings to this role.

From the possible recasting of Jacob Black to the news that each film would have its own director, Twilight fans are no stranger to controversy. Have we seen the last of it? With Eclipse beginning production in the next few weeks, I doubt it. With all the theories being passed around on the internet, I don’t even think we’ve seen the last of this one yet.