It seems like nothing can be drama-free in the land of Twilight. The most recent hoopla—having nothing to do with Robsten for a change: the recasting of hottie Rachelle Lefevre, who plays villainess Victoria in the franchise films.
So what the hell went down? Is it really scheduling conflicts, like Summit is saying? Or could something much greener be the reason behind the quick switch, like Marc Malkin has deliciously been told all about?
What the hell's the real story?
Rachelle was "stunned" at Summit's decision to replace her. And she seems genuinely shocked if you ask us. It sounds like she tried to make scheduling work with Eclipse and her new movie, Barney's Version, and Summit seemed to be fine with the overlap...until recently.
We contacted Wendy Saffer, publicist for Serendipity Films, the company responsible for producing Barney's Version, and she does confirm the conflicting filming dates.
"We start shooting in Rome on Aug. 17," Wendy tells us, which is literally the same day Eclipse starts back up in Vancouver, B.C.
But something just ain't right here. Both start dates—Eclipse and Barney's—have been set for a while now, we're told. Why did Summit seem to play nice with Rachelle's 10-day Vancouver departure, then suddenly use that as an excuse to recast her—the equivalent of being shot for an actress?
Sure, saving money is an obvious reason (which we doubt upsets the studio), but this is so much bigger than that now that Summit is rolling in the dough. Could this be a message to the frisky and often unmanageable cast: You're replaceable? Seems like it.
Remind you of that edict sent Robsten's way at Comic-Con? You know, the one about staying apart? Uh-huh. Pushy little studio that could, for sure.
We think that high-up execs want to show the young talent they don't hold all of the power in these now high-budget flicks. Sure, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner aren't going anywhere (fans would never allow that)—but R.L.'s departure sure as hell is a wake-up call to second-class Twi stars. And this will even snap the Golden Three back into line.
Don't you all think the timing is way too coincidental right now? Summit's known of Rachelle's schedule for a while—this replacement is more loaded than Robsten's body language.