HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Ashlee Simpson-Wentz and Colin Egglesfield have received their eviction notices.
The two stars have been dropped from The CW's struggling Melrose Place revamp, Entertainment Weekly reports. Both will last appear on the series in January 2010.
Melrose executive producer Todd Slavkin explained that Violet and Auggie, the characters played by Simpson-Wentz and Egglesfield, respectively, were never expected to stick around once the "Who Killed Sydney?" mystery was solved in December.
"We felt that once the murder mystery was resolved, the tone of the show was going to shift into a much more fun, romantic, sexy upbeat kind of show," he explained to EW, while also admitting that their characters could have stuck around had they clicked.
"They took it like professionals," added Slavkin. "When you go into a show you never know what's going to evolve and what the possibilities are. But because they knew ahead of time [that leaving was a possibility], it wasn't a complete shock."
Slavkin said they'll be several new characters coming to the series, including a doctor who moves into the building. He also noted that the reboot will get a shot in the arm once Heather Locklear reprises her role of Amanda Woodward.
"She's in every episode moving forward," said Slavkin, who noted that Locklear is locked up on the series for "a long time." "She's a major focus [of the show]. She has a hidden agenda that will become not so hidden as the episodes move along. She's not just the boss of Ella [Katie Cassidy]."
When asked if Locklear still possesses the power to bring buzz to the show, Slavkin said "absolutely."
"Not only is she so fun as Amanda, but she's such an amazing, hysterical woman," he said. "Her [return] is going to be a big moment on Melrose Place."
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Photo: Patrick Wymore/The CW ©2009 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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