1:22 pm, September 4th, 2013
VIDEO
(ABC)
The casting of Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson in Fifty Shades of Grey has led to backlash, so Jimmy Kimmel thought he’d help out by holding some auditions on the streets of Hollywood on Tuesday.
Things got hot.
Check out the video below!
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Truth rating: 10
Charlie Hunnam Dakota Johnson Fifty Shades of Grey
5:59 pm, September 3rd, 2013
(Getty Images)
The news that Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson will play the leads in Fifty Shades of Grey has led to a ton of reaction online — not all of it positive.
As is the case with many major pop cultural developments in the Internet age (see: Ben Affleck’s casting as Batman), there’s been backlash, with thousands of fans of the EL James books expressing disappointment or outrage over the Hunnam-Johnson pairing.
At least one petition is currently circulating to have producers replace their official selections with Matt Bomer as Christian Grey and Alexis Bledel as Anastasia Steele — and it has 10,000 signatures.
Of course, while fan movements have occasionally helped to save beloved TV shows from cancellation or prompted Hollywood to take action on other matters, the petition is not going to reverse the casting of Hunnam and Johnson.
As the film’s producer Dana Brunetti noted on Twitter shortly after Monday’s announcement, “There is a lot that goes into casting that isn’t just looks. Talent, availability, their desire to do it, chemistry with other actor, etc.”
He continued, “So if your favorite wasn’t cast, then it is most likely due to something on that list. Keep that in mind while hating and keep perspective.”
It may not satisfy the Hunnam and Johnson haters, but it should hopefully make anyone unhappy with the Fifty Shades casting more realistic about accepting the decisions and going to theaters with open minds.
What do you think about the choices of Hunnam and Johnson? Does it change your interest in seeing the movie?
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Bret Easton Ellis Charlie Hunnam E.L. James Fifty Shades of Grey Robert Pattinson
5:16 pm, September 2nd, 2013
(Getty Images)
On the heels of the announcement that Charlie Hunnam will play Christian Grey in the highly-anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey movie, Bret Easton Ellis – who penned The Canyons – claims the trilogy’s author E L James told him she originally wanted Robert Pattinson in the starring role.
On Monday, Ellis tweeted that over the summer he and James were at a house party at Pattinson’s home, and “her first choice for Christian was Rob Pattinson.”
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Ellis further said on Twitter that other names bandied about weren’t considered for the role of Christian Grey.
He tweeted, “Matt Bomer was never in the running,” and “Ian Somerhalder never in running.”
“When E.L. James asked me who I thought should be Christian I said ‘James Deen, of course,’” added Ellis, referring to the star of The Canyons.
He claimed he and James were “both very wasted” at Pattinson’s party.
Earlier on Monday, Universal Pictures and Focus Features confirmed Hunnam’s casting shortly after formally announcing Dakota Johnson will play the female lead, Anastasia Steele.
The movie, to be directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, is set to be released on August 1, 2014.
What do you think of Ellis’ comments?
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