A month later, he suddenly left the project due to scheduling conflicts. He was quickly replaced by Jamie Dornan. Dornan and Tony Award-nominated actor Billy Magnussen were screen tested at the same time.
The sexually-explicit story follows 27-year-old billionaire Christian Grey (Dornan--who was welcomed by the author) and 22-year-old virgin college student Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson TV's Ben and Kate and The Social Network"), who develop a relationship steeped in bondage, S&M, domination and submission.
In a chat with Moviefone, Hunnam said the exit was due to an intense schedule that he couldn't handle and he wouldn't have originally signed up to the film if he didn't want to do it. But:
"It was a really really difficult time in my life. I was going to finish 'Sons' at like 11p.m. Friday night, get on the plane Saturday morning to Vancouver for 'Fifty,' missing the whole first week of rehearsal and start shooting Monday morning. And I was going to shoot that film wrap that on the Wednesday and the following Monday I was going to start shooting 'Crimson Peak' in Toronto. I just had like... frankly, something of a nervous breakdown. I really didn't want to fail on such a grand scale, and I just couldn't transition from Jax Teller to Christian Grey in 48 hours. I bit off more than I could chew and it was painful. I loved the character and I wanted to do it."
The decision to exit the high profile pic hasn't hurt his career though--he is attached to at least three projects in the works including " Pacific Rim 2," "The Mountain Between Us " and "Knights of the Roundtable: King Arthur".
Casting for Grey was nuts indeed...
The likes of Scott Eastwood ("Texas Chainsaw 3D," "Fury") Alexander Skarsgård Montreal-born François Arnaud Theo James Luke Bracey and Christian Cooke had also been attached to take over the coveted role after Hunam's exit.
The news of the initial lead casting led to a strong fan backlash, Several actors were sought for the film and passed. Ryan Gosling was one such Christian Grey option. Shailene Woodley, Felicity Jones, Alicia Vikander, Imogen Poots and Elizabeth Olsen were all under consideration for Anastasia. All passed due to lack of interest, scheduling conflicts and/or other reasons.
Ian Somerhalder, Matt Bomer, Newcomer Erik Odom and Henry Cavill have also been linked to play Christian. Arrow star Stephen Amell had a meeting about the role.
You'll recall that director Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) and actor Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike) shot test scene recounting when the ingenue Anastasia Steele loses her virginity to Grey in Van Sant's bid for the gig.
"True Blood" co-star Luke Grimes will play Elliot, Christian's adopted brother. Elliot is described as a tall, muscular 30-something with curly blond hair and blue eyes. He ends up in a romance with Anastasia's best friend (part has yet to be cast). Jennifer Ehle will play Carla the mother of female lead Anastasia. Victor Rasuk plays aspiring photographer Jose a classmate and friend of Anastasia Steele who wants to be more. He ultimately becomes a rival for her affections with businessman Christian Grey. Newcomer Eloise Mumford will play Kate Kavanagh is Anastasia's best friend and her polar opposite. She is also meant to be drop-dead gorgeous, leaving men panting. Max Martini, who starred in TV's The Unit and recently appeared in Pacific Rim has been cast to play Jason Taylor Christian Grey’s bodyguard. Singer Rita Ora plays Christian's sister Mia. Academy Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden will portray Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey, the adoptive mother of the Grey siblings. Callum Keith Rennie plays Ray Steele, the stepfather of Anastasia Steele. Ray is Anastasia's mother's ex-husband, whom Anastasia considers her "real" father. In the book, Ray meets Anastasia's new love interest at her college graduation. Anastasia has more than one stepfather. In the book, her mother, Carla, is married to a man named Bob, who will be played by Dylan Neal.
Sam Taylor-Johnson, best known for directing the 2009 film Nowhere Boy and being married to actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson directs the film after a lengthy search.
The novel is the first in a planned trilogy. James has sold 31 million e-book and print copies in English-language markets worldwide, in the U.S. alone she has sold over 20 million copies in e-book and print.
Kelly Marcel wrote the initial adapted screenplay. She previously worked on "Terra Nova" and penned "Saving Mr. Banks". Oscar-nominated screenwriter Patrick Marber was tasked with the job of give performing a script rewrite and adding some extra character bits. The Wolverine writer Mark Bomback will do a quick polish of the script
"Moneyball" and "The Social Network" producers Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti won a bidding war to produce the film version of "Shades"
Originally due out on August 1st 2014 release, it will now open on February 13th 2015, just in time for both the Valentine’s Day weekend and the President’s Day holiday.
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