“Twilight” director Catherine Hardwicke will not take the helm of “New Moon,” the sequel to the outstandingly popular vampire flick, as the time schedule of the studio behind the upcoming movie did not meet with her desires.

The film studio that facilitated the release of “Twilight” last month, Summit Entertainment, explained that the planned release of the productive franchise’s second film in late 2009 or early 2010 did not comply with Catherine Hardwicke’s needs.

“New Moon” will be based on the second novel in Stephenie Meyer’s best-selling series and is due to continue the depiction of the relationship between a vampire and an ordinary adolescent.

Although the director of “Twilight” will not shoot the sequel as well, the film’s stars, Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, will return as Edward Cullen and Bella Swan, respectively.

Catherine Hardwicke, who has also worked on productions like “Thirteen” and “Lords of Dogtown,” registered the best debut ever for a female director with “Twilight’s” $70 million opening score. The picture grossed more than $138 million in three weeks.

During a joint news release with Summit Entertainment on Sunday, Catherine Hardwicke expressed her regret with regard to the fact that she could not direct “New Moon” and explained that “Twilight” had been one of the “great experiences of my life.”

Erik Feig, Summit Entertainment’s president of production, told Catherine Hardwicke he was very grateful for her help, which proved to be “an incredible job.”

In addition, he said that it was the studio’s duty to develop the story between the two main characters as soon as possible.