First Published: October 12, 2013 3:01 PM EDT Credit: Getty Premium
Caption Charlie Hunnam
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- “Fifty Shades of Grey” has lost its Christian.
Charlie Hunnam, who was set to play billionaire playboy Christian Grey in the upcoming film adaptation of the E L James novel, has dropped out of the project.
“The filmmakers of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and Charlie Hunnam have agreed to find another male lead given Hunnam’s immersive TV schedule which is not allowing him time to adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey,” Universal and Focus Features announced in a statement on Saturday.
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James hinted at the news on Twitter just moments before the announcement, Tweeting, “Okay girls and boys - hold on to your hats - it’s about to get serious…”
Despite Hunnam’s late exit, James Tweeted that she wishes the actor “all the best.”
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Hunnam currently stars on FX’s “Sons of Anarchy.”
The “Fifty Shades” film, initially set to hit U.S. theaters in August 2014, will be directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, with Dakota Johnson in the lead role of Anastasia Steele.
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