'Veronica Mars' movie: Leighton Meester's role recast

Leighton Meester will not reprise her role in the upcoming Veronica Mars film, but the television show’s creator Rob Thomas announced today that Meester’s character will, indeed, live on.

Replacing Meester as Neptune High mean girl Carrie Bishop? Andrea Estella, lead singer of indie pop band Twin Sister.

In an e-mail update sent to the movie’s Kickstarter backers, Thomas explained the casting, saying, “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.”

Meester was unable to appear as she is filming another movie “on the wrong coast,” Thomas added.

The Veronica Mars movie, which was made possible thanks to more than $5.5 million in fund raising via the website Kickstarter, is currently in production in Los Angeles.