Yesterday, E! News reported that Leighton Meester would not be reprising her role in the Veronica Mars movie.
The Gossip Girl actress will still be a part of the movie, just not as character Carrie Bishop. Creator Rob Thomas explains that Andrea Estella, lead singer of the band Twin Sister, will take the role instead. “Sadly, Leighton was doing a different movie during the same time frame on the wrong coast,” Thomas wrote in an e-mail to Kickstarter backers, “In the end, she was unavailable.”
Thomas continues to explain the choice behind casting Estella for Meester’s original role. “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. 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.” Carrie Bishop will be showing off her vocals in the upcoming movie, and music from the Twin Sister’s will also be incorporated.