Bryce Dallas Howard Will Bare Her Fangs in 'Eclipse'

Bryce Dallas Howard, daughter of director Ron Howard, replaces Rachelle Lefevre.

ByABC News
July 29, 2009, 9:26 AM

July 29, 2009— -- "Twilight" fans will see a new face causing trouble for vampire-human couple Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in the third installment of the mega-popular movie series.

Bryce Dallas Howard, the 28-year-old actress daughter of director Ron Howard, will replace Rachelle Lefevre in the role of Victoria, the red-haired, feline-like vampire who is out to get the film's leading couple in the upcoming "Eclipse."

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

Lefevre, 30, is leaving the series after portraying Victoria in the first two "Twilight" films because of scheduling conflicts with her upcoming movie, "Barney's Version," starring opposite Dustin Hoffman -- which begins filming the same day as "Eclipse" in mid-August.

Howard has previously starred in "Terminator Salvation," "Spider-Man 3," "Lady in the Water" and Lars von Trier's "Manderlay."

'New Moon' Publicity in Full Swing

Last week thousands of screaming fans welcomed the cast of "New Moon," the second installment in the "Twilight" series, at the 2009 Comic-Con Convention in San Diego, sporting "Team Edward" or "Team Jacob" T-shirts referencing the films' characters and itching to get a glimpse of its stars.

Some camped out overnight to see stars Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner unveil two never-before-seen scenes from the sequel, coming to theaters Nov. 20. Both featured a shirtless Pattinson and Lautner, and shrills from screaming girls almost drowned out the dialogue from the clips.