Leighton Meester ‘Veronica Mars’ Movie Role Recast; Replaced by Twin Sister Singer Andrea Estella
Former Gossip Girl star Leighton Meester will no longer be appearing in the Veronica Mars movie.
Mars series creator and director Rob Thomas announced on Sunday that Meester will be replaced by Andrea Estella, lead singer of the Long-Island-based band Twin Sister, who will take on the role of Carrie Bishop.
Thomas sent an e-mail to the Kickstarter backers, who all together raised over $5 million for the film's production, saying that a scheduling conflict was the reason behind the switch-up.
"Sadly, Leighton was doing a different movie during the same time frame on the wrong coast," he wrote. "In the end, she was unavailable."
Thomas saw Meester as a perfect fit after she played Carrie for two episodes, one being Mars vs. Mars during season 1. He added he needed someone who had a singing talent as well, which is one of the reasons why Estella was enlisted.
"One of the reasons I wanted Leighton, beyond her talent/beauty/history in the show, was that we needed a performer who could sing in this important role," Thomas wrote. "Once it became evident that we couldn't make Leighton's schedule work, I decided to cast someone from a band I already wanted in the movie."
The I Want A House singer, who never saw an episode before signing on, said she was "totally into it" after watching the pilot.
"It's the exact kind of show I would get obsessed with, so it's been a bit of dream to be in a movie, especially being a messed-up rock princess. How could I say no? I think the VM fans are going to be very happy!" Estella said.
The CW series ended in 2007 after three seasons. The Veronica Mars movie is currently in production in Los Angeles. The cast also includes Krisen Bell, Krysten Ritter, Gaby Hoffman, Martin Starr, Christine Lakin and Max Greenfield.
