Bryce Dallas Howard Replaces Rachelle Lefevre In 'The Twilight Saga: Eclipse'

There's an old saying that goes "don't change horses in midstream." Never is this more true than when you're talking about major Hollywood franchises. Rabid fans become comfortable with a long-running series' established mythology, and it's jarring to see a new face operating under a familiar name.

I wonder then what you Twilighters make of today's news, that Bryce Dallas Howard will step in to replace Rachelle Lefevre in the villainous role of Victoria for "The Twilight Saga: Eclipse." Lefevre filled the role in both "Twilight" and the upcoming "New Moon." The Hollywood Reporter reveals that the casting switch comes as the result of a scheduling conflict, as Lefevre will join Dustin Hoffman in the soon-to-shoot indie drama "Barney's Version."

Howard brings plenty of experience along with her of course. She starred in M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" and "Lady in the Water," and she paid her geek dues as Gwen Stacy in "Spider-Man 3" and Kate Connor in "Terminator Salvation." There's nothing quite like "Twilight" out there though.

Still, I have to wonder what you hardcore fans make of the change. Comparing this to a similar situation, I loved the first "Iron Man" movie but I'm pretty disappointed about Don Cheadle replacing Terrence Howard as Rhodey in "Iron Man 2." Cheadle is a tremendous actor, but Howard really nailed the role and the change leaves me unsettled. Perhaps my opinion will change when the sequel hits theaters, but I'm still left feeling uneasy.

Do you fans feel similarly about the Victoria change? Is Howard a good pick? I want to hear your thoughts. The comments section is certainly a good outlet, but those of you with webcams should hop in front of them and record a video response. Share the clip with us at Your MTV, and make sure to tag it "Twilight -- Victoria casting." I'll pull out the best and share 'em here on the blog.

Eclipse Switch: Bryce Dallas Howard To Play Vampire Victoria

Twilight fans are used to the renegade vampire Victoria causing trouble for lovers Bella and Edward, but come the third installment of the film series, they may be taken aback by Bryce Dallas Howard baring her fangs in the role.

That's right: The 28-year-old daughter of director Ron Howard will be replacing Rachelle Lefevre, 30, who took on the role for the first film and its upcoming sequel, New Moon.

"Rachelle brought Victoria to great screen life, and Bryce will bring a new dimension to the character,"says Erik Feig, president of worldwide production and acquisitions for Summit Entertainment. "The franchise is lucky to have such a talented actress as Bryce coming in to fill the role."

According to Summit, Lefevre is leaving the series because of scheduling conflicts with a new film project. She's slated to appear opposite Dustin Hoffman in the independent film Barney's Version, which begins filming the same day as Eclipse – only on the opposite end of the continent, in Quebec.