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The Social Network producers are in
Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti have been enlisted to produce the film. The pair worked as co-producers on The Social Network , as well as the upcoming Tom Hanks film Captain Phillips .
The co-chairman of Universal, Donna Langely, is hopeful the duo can bring a touch of class to proceedings. “At its core, Fifty Shades Of Grey is a love story, requiring a delicate and sophisticated hand to bring it to the big screen,” she said.
Bret Easton Ellis is out
Despite making it public that he would love the chance to turn E.L. James’s soft porn bestseller into a film, American Psycho writer Bret Easton Ellis has been ruled out of the role of screenwriter.
Typically candid, Ellis tweeted his frustration at not being able to develop the screen character of another sadomasochist:
Women may dominate the project
Of the four screenwriters being considered by producers Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti, three are women. Veena Sud – a writer and executive producer on The Killing – is currently the favourite, promising to bring a sleek, noir feel to the film.
Sud is up against emerging writer Karen Croner, who recently adapted Jean Hanff Korelitz’s book Admission into a film of the same title starring Tiny Fey and Paul Rudd.
The final female contender is Kelly Marcel. She’s best known for writing ambitious Steven Spielberg TV epic Terra Nova , but she’s also penned Saving Mr Banks – a film that tells the story of the making of Mary Poppins , with Tom Hanks playing Walt Disney.
The Fifty Shades movie may be suitable for kids
Well, not quite. But Dan Fogelman – the man behind the screenplay of family favourites Cars , Bolt and Tangled – is on the shortlist of four screenwriters being considered for the film.
We can’t quite imagine Fifty Shades as an animated movie, but digital manipulation may well make some of the tie-her-up scenes a little easier to execute.
The movie is still without a director
It was rumoured back in June that Angelina Jolie might be fit for purpose, having done a decent job on In The Land Of Blood And Honey .
Americans have embraced Fifty Shades as their own
Fifty Shades Of Grey has sold a mind-blowing 20 million copies in the US sparking comparisons with fellow literary phenomena Twilight and The Hunger Games .
The huge US fan base, together with the fact E.L. James chose not to make the book’s characters or setting discernably British, means the film is more likely to feature American actors in an American location.
Superman is favourite to play Christian Grey
Despite being only 27-years old in the book, billionaire Christian Grey is likely to be played by someone older. Twenty-nine year-old Henry Cavill, star of the upcoming Superman rebooot Man Of Steel , is currently the UK bookies’ favourite.
Matt Bomer is too gay for Grey
While Matt Bomer’s sexuality is hardly newsworthy, his rumoured connection with Fifty Shades Of Grey has caused a flutter of controversy. The Magic Mike and White Collar actor has been tipped to play sadist Christian Grey, news that hasn’t gone down all that well with some.
Bret Easton Ellis shared his views on Twitter, stating: “Okay I’ll say it. Matt Bomer isn’t right for Christian Grey because he is openly gay. He’s great for other roles but this is too big a game.”
Despite the online debate that ensued, Bomer is still one of the favourites to take the role.
Robert Pattinson would be perfect casting
E.L. James began writing Fifty Shades Of Grey as Twilight fan fiction with an erotic twist, and the character of Christian Grey is said to have been inspired by Edward Cullen as played by Robert Pattinson in The Twilight Saga .
Rumours are just that
Any casting rumours, speculation and gossip have been firmly met with a ‘no comment’ response by both E.L. James and producer duo Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti. In early August, James tweeted: “I am not making any comments on casting the movie. No one is ruled out or in yet – far too early.”
De Luca enforced the message by saying: “All the rumours on #FiftyShades are just rumours... No one has been cast in any role. We have to get a writer and a director first.”
The author has creative control
It seems that breaking the record for the best selling book in British history earns you certain privileges. The status clearly won E.L. James leverage when negotiating the movie rights to her books. Her agent, Valerie Hoskins, said control was exceptionally important to James – much like it is to her character, power freak Christian Grey.
“I sent out a term sheet of what we wanted, and the priority was that somebody came back with something that was truly collaborative,” said Hoskins. “All of the offers fulfilled that to a degree, but the Universal offer fulfilled it 100%.
The merchandise will be embarrassing
The Fifty Shades Of Grey trilogy has already spawned its own line of lingerie, sleepwear, hosiery and hoodies (yes, we’re baffled by the last one too), plus commemorative mugs, stationery and iPod skins, so it’s only natural that the movie will inspire more spin-offs.
Harry Potter shouldnt be too worried
Fifty Shades Of Grey and its two follow-ups have already out-sold all seven of the Harry Potter books, as well as the Twilight series and Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code .
