After almost a year of speculation, actors Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam have been announced as the leads in the highly anticipated film adaptation of the erotic novel, 50 Shades of Grey.
Dakota (23), who is the daughter of Miami Vice actor Don Johnson, and has had small roles in 21 Jump Street and The Five-Year Engagement and The Social Network – in which she shared a love scene with Justin Timberlake – will play Anastasia Steele.
British actor Charlie, set to play Christian Grey, first rose to fame on the UK drama Queer As Folk, where he played gay teenager Nathan Maloney, but is now known for his role as Jackson ‘Jax’ Teller in biker drama Sons Of Anarchy.
Several actors were said to be in the running for the lead roles in the sexy film including, Emma Watson, Imogen Poots, Armie Hammer and Ian Somerhalder. But American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis, meanwhile, claims that Robert Pattinson was author EL James’ first choice for the lead role in the book, which is the fastest selling paperback of all time.
“EL James and I were at Rob Pattinson’s house when she admitted that Rob was first choice for Christian,” Bret said on Twitter this week.
“When EL James asked me who I thought should be Christian, I said ‘James Dean, of course,’ and then she shoved me,” he added.
Who would you have chosen as the lead actors?
