Fifty Shades film rumours heat up

Rumours surrounding a film adaptation of saucy bestseller Fifty Shades of Grey gained ground this week, as producers Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti signed up to work on the film.

If the film goes ahead, it will not be the pair’s first adaptation: their Oscar-winning The Social Network was based on Ben Mezrich’s The Accidental Billionaires, which detailed the story behind the founding of Facebook. De Luca also produced Moneyball, the Oscar-nominated adaptation of Michael Lewis’ Moneyball: The Art of Winning, an account of one maverick’s method for winning big in baseball.

Universal Studios paid $5m to secure the film rights in March. Last month, American Psycho writer Bret Easton Ellis claimed to be interested in writing the script, describing protagonists Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey as “potentially great cinematic characters” on Twitter. Universal co-chairman Donna Langley has rather euphemistically described Fifty Shades as “a complex love story”, which needs a “delicate and sophisticated hand” to whip it into shape for the screen.

If De Luca and Brunetti find themselves caught up in casting decisions, an e-fit of Grey, released by the University of Central Lancashire, could provide some inspiration. Suggestions for the lead roles include Ian Somerhalder, Chris Pine, Mila Kunis, and Twilight stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart.

Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James is published by Arrow.