Catherine Hardwicke will not be directing the second installment of the mega-popular Twilight series. 

Summit Entertainment has announced that the director is being replaced due to scheduling conflicts. Hardwicke made a name for herself with the independent film Thirteen, and she directed The Nativity Story for New Line, before directing Twilight, which has turned out to be one of the Fall’s biggest hits, grossing $138.6 million so far.

The planned sequel, New Moon, is scheduled for release at the end of 2009 or early 2010, which will not give Hardwicke enough time to do the film, according to the studio. Summit has not yet named a new director, but writer Melissa Rosenberg and the two leads Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart will return for the sequel.

New Moon is the second book-turned movie in Stephenie Myer’s four-book series. It is a love story between vampire Edward Cullen and human Bella Swan. However, in New Moonth werewolf Jacob Black played by Taylor Lautner has a more prominent role in the saga. Read more about the directorial switch at Gossipsauce.com

 —Jessica Delli Santi