Unless you were living on Mars, the Fifty Shades of Grey phenomenon could not have passed you unnoticed and whether you’re willing to admit it, you probably have read the first book in the trilogy, or all three. (C’mon it’s sold 70 million copies worldwide…)
The book sold over 70 million copies.
Now finally after months of speculation about who will play the roles of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey in the big screen adaptation of the sex-filled romp, Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam have been named as the stars in question.
The news was tweeted by author E.L James (who reportedly netted a whopping £61.5million off the back of the books success last year) who wrote: “Good morning all. Hold on to your hats…”
Dakota, 23, is the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson and previously appeared in The Social Network, where she was seen getting up and personal with Justin Timberlake. It is thought bosses were after a relatively unknown actress to play the virginal Ana, who goes on a journey of sexual discovery with the much-older Christian.
The S&M-loving boss will be played by Brit actor Charlie, 33, who rose to fame in Queer as Folk and has also appeared in dark thriller Son of Anarchy. The author called Hunnam “gorgeous and talented” and Johnson “lovely” as she revealed their joint casting to the world.
Many names have been in the mix for the roles, including Emma Watson, Kristen Stewart and Emmy Rossum for Ana and author Brett Easton Ellis claimed Robert Pattinson was E.L James’s first choice for the role of Christian.
The producer said that the new pair worked well together, tweeting “Auditions were stunning, incredible chemistry.” The director is Sam Tyalor-Johnson and the flick is slated for release in August 2014.
We’re not ashamed to admit that we can’t wait to hear more!
What do you think about the news of the castings? Do you think they are a good fit for the characters? Tell us @lovestruck
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