14 DAY TRIAL // According to many critics and fans, Charlie Hunnam dodged a bullet when he dropped out of the upcoming “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie, even though he had initially agreed to it. With or without him Dakota Johnson will be on board the much anticipated project.
Hunnam announced his decision the other day, citing scheduling conflicts caused by his work on “Sons of Anarchy” for it. Insiders say that he chickened out after he saw the negative reactions to his being cast online.
Other insiders reveal for The Wrap that Johnson isn’t chickening out just yet, even though the reason she was picked for Ana’s role was because of her amazing chemistry with Hunnam, with whom she read for auditions.
With her firmly in the picture, producers are now looking to build the rest of the cast around her, which means that whoever lands the Grey part must fit the bill – and also have good chemistry with her leading lady.
“Unlike Hunnam, Johnson knows what it’s like to live under a microscope, having grown up in the public eye as the daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson,” the e-zine says.
“Multiple sources stress that the filmmakers will build the rest of the cast around her rather than let the new Christian Grey dictate the ensemble, which is expected to include Jennifer Ehle (‘Zero Dark Thirty’) as Anastasia’s mother,” adds the same media outlet.
So far, the start production date is still set for November, with a release eyed for August 2014. Producers have to act quick and find that replacement.