Master of the Universe versus Fifty Shades Movie by E.L James

If you thought that Erica James’ literary aspirations have only seen the light of day in the form of her ‘Fifty Shades’ trilogy, you are not entirely correct. We say, entirely, because most of us might not have heard the name Snowqueens Icedragon. It was her pseudonym, till she decided to abbreviate her name to E.L. James and write the first instalment of her ‘Fifty Shades....’ trilogy. Under her pseudonym, Snowqueens Icedragon, she wrote another fan fiction, which went on to become the foundation of her most commercially successful literary creation.

Though most of us now know that ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ started as a fan fiction, quite on the lines of Twilight, a love story between a human girl and a vampire boy, written by Stephanie Meyer. The ‘Twilight’ series have also been adapted into films, which again have been commercially viable. But even as we sit and discuss the similarities that might have existed between ‘Twilight’ and ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, there is another novel by E.L. James which has to be considered when drawing parallels.

Entitled ‘Master of the Universe’ or MotU, this novel bears a stark resemblance to ‘Fifty Shades....’ and hence it can be concluded that it formed a foundation on which the successful high-rise of ‘Fifty Shades...’ was constructed. When we take a close look at both the novels, we will hardly miss the ingenious and watermark left on the pages by the author, E.L. James. Since both MotU and ‘Fifty...’ rely heavily on each other, and have elements which have been borrowed from ‘Twilight’ as well, there are chances, that the faithful readers of all the three novels will be able to draw the necessary comparisons.

To start off with the comparisons ourselves, we can easily say that some characters and the traits they display along with the relationship they share, are the same, or in the least identical in both ‘Master of the Universe’ and FSoG, or ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’. The name Bella Swan will of course ring bells, (thanks to Twilight) and that very same name was also used in MotU, but was thankfully changed to Anastasia Steele in FSoG.

Even if you have not read the novel (too bad, actually), you will know that she is one of the lead characters, ion both the novel and the film, the other lead character being Christian Grey, who was Edward Cullen in both Meyer’s ‘Twilight’ and Snowqueens Icedragon’s ‘Master of the...’. Apart from the major characters and their names and relationships which have been touched upon and changed, the back stories of how the characters met, and other events are also strikingly dissimilar.

Hence, you can’t read Twilight and expect to catch a glimpse of ‘Fifty Shades...’ and ‘Master of the Universe’ and vice-versa. Though there are elements that these three novels share since they follow the fan fiction mode, each has its own unique flavour and charm and you just have to have your own copy to see it for yourself.

Dakota Johnson gets her chance to shine in new Fifty Shades of Grey poster

When we talk about a love story or a relationship based on BDSM, we have to remember that there are two people and two approaches to it. Take the case of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. There would not be love story or a BDSM inspired relationship if there was no submissive Ana to a dominant Christian. They are like this perfect foil to each other and almost like his yin to her yang, or vice versa. Hence, when it comes to portraying this subtle difference between who is a dominant partner in the relationship and who is the submissive partner, most of the times the body language of the actors and the expressions matter the most.
“Fifty Shades...” is not a novel, and a film, that merely touches upon these issues, but the characters have been penned in such a way that the tension between them is infectious and is evident in the posters as well. Case in point is the new still or poster which has been released. But just because we have a new poster does not mean that we will forget the old poster! Both the posters are important to analyse this subtle difference between Dakota’s submissive Ana and Jamie’s dominant Grey.
If the first poster celebrated the machismo and the masculinity of Christian Grey, the second poster reminded us of Anastasia’s coyness and vulnerability. For all those who remember seeing the first poster, they will remain that a suited Janie Dornan (As Christian Grey) standing with his back to us, hands nestled inside the front pockets of his trousers and looking out if the floor to ceiling window in his office at Grey Enterprises. In the novel the setting of all the action is Seattle, and though the film has been shot in Vancouver, in the poster, Grey (Dornan) looks over the Seattle skyline.

The poster reeks of Christian Grey’s love for power and control. It is this controlling streak in him that helps him seduce a naive and shy college graduate Anastasia Steele into becoming his submissive partner. On the other hand, since there cannot be a Christian without Ana, that is, there cannot be a dominant partner without a submissive one; the second poster is a revelation of this complex and emotionally draining relationship that Ana shares with Grey.

In the second poster of Fifty Shades Movie, this comes with the caption “One Year? Valentine’s Day 2015”, Ana can be seen standing timidly at the entrance of Grey’s cabin/office with a file/paper. A man, presumably Grey is seen again with his back to us. If the first poster carried the option “Mr. Grey Will See You Now”, this poster also seems like a continuation of that thought. Actually, Ana is there on some business, as she has to take the self made entrepreneur’s interview for the college paper. Although she is shown as a student who has majored in English literature, it is her friend and roommate Kate, who was scheduled to take the interview, but was indisposed, in her absence, Ana, slips into her shoes and comes to take Grey’s interview and this chance encounter, changes both their lives. 

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50 Shades Of Grey' Movie Rumours: Katie Cassidy to Join ‘Fifty Shades’ Cast As Leila?

When it is the “Fifty Shades of Grey” movie franchise, we are talking about there is never a dull moment. And if the constant cast changes, we mean additions are your cup of tea, you are going to love this latest bit. Erica James, the creator of the erotic novel trilogy “Fifty Shades...” has teased her fans and readers yet again with a new picture she tweeted on the social networking site, Twitter. In the picture, a certain Katie Cassidy can be seen posing with her legs pulled up to her chest in glasses and a white top. In another picture that the author shared, the American actress known for her roles in ‘Arrow’, ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Melrose Place’ can be seen pouting for the shutterbug with her brunette locks and pink puckers.

Some sources have revealed that the actress will be seen in the role of Leila Williams in the movie adaptation of the novel, and she would most definitely be an eyeful attraction to join the cast lately. The cast, which now boasts of the likes of Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden and English songstress Rita Ora has also seen a hunk like Charlie Hunnam being replaced by another hunk Jamie Dornan. But if you are stricken by the resemblance Katie Cassidy has with our very own Anastasia Steele, Dakota Johnson; don’t think that she is being replaced. If they look so similar, the reason is that they play characters in the novel and the movie, which are very similar to each other.

For all those, who have not read the novel, it might interest you to know that Leila Williams is the ex flame of Christian Grey’s life, and before Ana came into his life, our Mr. Grey was busy with Leila for two and a half years, till she left him for her husband. But she does not stay true her husband too, for she leaves him for her lover Geoff, who is unfortunately killed in an accident. The repercussions of this accident and Geoff’s death are so severe on Leila that she is driven insane and has a mental showdown.

If the new teasing pics are to be confirmed, then Katie Cassidy will definitely be seen in the movie adaptation, but some sources have pointed to the possibility that the actress might also be seen in the role of Mrs. Robinson aka Elena. The “Fifty Shades...” franchise is somewhat unimaginable without Elena. If your memory serves you well, you will remember that the most coveted and the priced role of Mrs. Robinson is still up for grabs after it was rumoured that the likes of Rose McGowan and Katie Holmes have been considered in the role of the dominatrix who opened up and mentored Christian Grey to develop a penchant for BDSM.

Though nothing has been confirmed so far, we can only expect the best of the cast and crew to join the franchise and for definitive information regarding this, waiting for 13^th February 2015 makes sense. 

See more at: http://fiftyshadesofgreyfanclub.com

’50 Shades of Grey’ Movie: Rita Ora Hints That Erotic Film will ‘Shock’ Fans

When it comes to the “Fifty Shades....” movie adaptation, we already know that the novel written by Erica James is being adapted for the big screen. But while we are waiting for the film to see the light of the day, there is also a lot of hoopla around it while the film is being shot in Vancouver. By now there has been a lot of development surrounding the shooting of this movie and the latest one to surface is the one where Rita Ora has said that this movie will ‘shock’ fans. It is true that this film can very well shock its fans and followers. But Rita Ora has allegedly hinted that there will be a big twist in the tail of this movie that will leave fans and followers with a big gasp.

Rita Ora was the most recent member to have been inducted as the member of the cast of this adaptation, which boasts of the likes of an Oscar winner like Marcia Gay Harden and others like Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan. The film is among Rita Ora’s first major breaks, though she has previously appeared in ‘Spivs’ and ‘Fast and Furious 6’. In the movie, the English singer and songwriter plays the role of Mia Grey, the adopted sister of the titular character, Christian Grey. If you have caught a glimpse of the official poster of this erotic love story which releases on the 13^th of February 2015, you will know which Mr. Grey we are referring to.

He is the same Grey who can be seen in the poster standing with his back to the audience in a sharp suit, looking out into the Seattle skyline from a window in his office. The caption of the poster reads, ‘Mr. Grey Will See You Now’. Those who have read the novel will know that this line is a direct reference to the time when Anastasia Steele, played by Dakota Johnson meets this cold and deep billionaire for the first time in his office, where she goes to take his interview. From there on starts an unusual love story between these two which borders on BDSM lovemaking and non-disclosure statements.

Rita Ora was among the last few actors to make her way to Vancouver where the film is being shot braving the weather and all. Dakota and Jamie have already started their leg of the shooting and the pictures straight from the site of the shoot give us enough promise to look forward to this 201 Valentine’s Day release. The onlookers on the set have said that the lead pair shares an awesome chemistry and some have even said that Jamie Dornan is actually overprotective of Dakota! When it comes to shocking audiences, there is enough material already in the book, and we are definitely referring to the racy lovemaking sequences. 

Is Kristin Chenoweth Joining The 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Cast?

When we heard that the Tony and Primetime Emmy Award winning actress, Kristin Chenoweth was seen at the Vancouver airport, and was rumoured to be a part of the cast of “Fifty Shades of Grey”, we just had to find out more. After all, with a movie adaptation like that of “Fifty Shades of Grey”, where cast changes, entries and exits seem to be the order of the day, adding or subtracting a celebrity name here and there, is no problem. Not that we are complaining, it would not harm if in fact, a multifaceted talent like Kristin Chenoweth was indeed a part of the adaptation.

But on delving deep into the real reason of her appearance on the sets of the film shooting we found out something completely unexpected. Instead of being a cast of the movie adaptation of the raunchy and erotic thriller written by Erica James, Chenoweth is there to support her boyfriend! Now, you must be wondering, who is the lucky guy and do we know him? We do know, but he does not appear in front of the camera as much as he is useful and important behind the scenes. He is Dana Brunetti, who serves as one of the producers of the adaptation. Now can you guess how important a role he has to play in the scheme of things? After all, he is one of the producers and Kristin as the producer’s girl will definitely have first hand access to all shooting details.

The actress and singer is so fond of the trilogy that she has openly admitted that anything related to Christian Grey is fine with her. She was of course talking about a favourite she has, that she would love to see being shot. The actress and singer, known for her role in “Glee” on television and “Steel Pier” and “Wicked” on Broadway will stop by the sets of “Glee” to celebrate the 100^th episode of the television series. Kristin Chenoweth is not the only celebrity who has been rumoured to be a part of the film adaptation of the novel written by E.L. James.

British T.V. actor Charlie Hunnam was the first actor to be selected as the BDSM loving self made billionaire, Christian Grey, first. But after he walked out of the project, citing his commitment to his T.V. series, “Sons of Anarchy”, many known faces were up for grabs to play the role of the businessman with a penchant for pain induced pleasure. The likes of Ryan Gosling, Robert Pattinson, Ian Somerhalder, and Matt Bomer among others were considered for the role. And not only the student, the role of the teacher (figuratively, of course) is still undecided.

If you are wondering how and when did 50 Shades Movie become a teacher-student saga, let us assure you that we are referring to the character of Mrs. Robinson, who, in the novel is Grey’s confidante, make that a much older confidante, (for she was also Grey’s mother’s friend), and introduced him to the dark pleasures of BDSM. It was rumoured earlier on in the casting process that she would be played by the likes of Katie Holmes and Rose McGowan; we are still waiting for a confirmation.

See more at: http://fiftyshadesofgreyfanclub.com

1. E.L. James best written novel- Fifty Shades of Grey

E.L. James is better known as the creator of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” trilogy. Having started her career with television as an executive, Erika Mitchell, forayed into fan fiction under the pseudonym “Snowqueens Icedragon”. Today however, her most notable work, “Fifty Shades of Grey” is the reason why she is in the news for all the right reasons and well, some controversies too. The novel which derives heavily from BDSM and other erotic forms of sexual gratification is based on the strictly sexual relationship between the lead characters of Anastasia Steele and “Christian Grey”. It is because of this paperback novel that Erika Mitchell has garnered the crown of being the highest earning author of this year.

Since the release of her novel, it has also sparked some controversy about the graphic details of the sexual encounters between the two lead characters. Some libraries have also alleged removed copies of the book because of the mature content, but that has not dampened its chances of becoming a best seller with over 70 million copies already sold. It is already the fastest selling paperback and has ousted its competitor, the Harry Potter novels, written by another Briton, J.K. Rowling. “Fifty shades of Grey” is already in the pipeline to becoming a major motion picture. E.L. James is also creatively taking an interest in choosing the star cast of the Fifty Shades Movie as well.

“Fifty shades of Grey” is followed by “Fifty Shades Darker” and “Fifty Shades freed”. The trilogy contrary to critical reception is quite popular among its fans. Mitchell has won top honours and recognition in the year 2012, like “the 100 Most Influential People in the World” by Time Magazine and the “Publishing Person of the Year” by Publishers Weekly. Her work in “Fifty Shades” has also won her acclaim in the form of “Popular Fiction of the Year” from National Book Award and “Book of the Year” also from National Book Award, both from the UK. Mitchell has claimed that such adulation for her work has taken her by surprise and awe.
She has also proclaimed that the first novel in the trilogy is a throwback on her fantasies and her midlife crisis. The story which centers on BDSM which is used as a tool for attaining sexual pleasures brings the concept out of the closet and readers and critics might love it or hate it but they cannot ignore it. Since its release, the book has seen a steady rise in its readership and fans have accepted every part of it as if it some rich manna dew. Mitchell’s book’s rights have been sold in over 37 countries and if these figures are anything to go by, it can be safely assumed that it is probably her best written work.

The relationship between a coy college student and a business magnate moves quickly from a chat over coffee to bondage and submission and finally Ana leaves Grey understanding that the relationship based on BDSM toys and non-disclosure agreements cannot work out. Trust E.L. James to take a sordid tale of BDSM and turn it into a romance.

Fifty Shades of Grey is erotic novel By EL James

The erotic trilogy is the book that everyone is talking about. Set in Washington State, the books tell us of a love story between virginal college student Anastasia Steele and the incredibly handsome, multibillionaire Christian Grey. But this is no ordinary love story; Mr. Grey has a dark, kinky side and one that involves a red room of pain, cable ties and floggers.The book has Taken the world by storm and has already hit record sales in the UK and through out the world.
Now, erotic novels are nothing new, people have been writing about sadomasochism since the Marquis de Sade, but what makes the  series so innovative is that it's become socially acceptable for us to openly read erotica.

The sales figures don't lie - women want sex in their books. Fifty Shades of Grey has come out of nowhere as a self published e-book and only a few months later has ended up topping the charts holding the number one position for more than eight consecutive weeks.

In fact the sexy trilogy is not just a bestseller, but ranks in at 11th place on the all time lists dating from 1998. This means the Fifty Shades of Grey series has outranked even the Harry Potter, Hunger Games and the Twilight series that inspired the books.

However, in the first time in two months, the sales from this Goliath of a book have dropped for the first time after weeks of increasing sales. The sales figures from the Fifty books have fallen by $1.2 million - a whooping 16%, but despite the slight decline, the books are still holding the number one spot tightly.

So are the books losing their popularity? That is unlikely. While it still has a way to go in beating Dan Brown's Angels and Demons on the bestseller list of the last two decades, new summer reads are struggling to keep up with the competition set by E.L. James. In fact, a quarter of the total books sales in the last couple of months have all been from the Fifty Shades series, and with all the buzz surrounding the proposed movie adaptation of the Fifty Shades of Grey books, we can expect a huge increase in the sales of the books.

Despite the setback in sales, Fifty Shades of Grey is not going to disappear anytime soon. While they've been temporarily spanked into submission, we can only expect the sales for the Fifty Shades of Grey series to keep on climbing.

“Fifty Shades of Grey” has become an international occurrence and the trilogy has been converted in 50 languages worldwide since its release. To designated day, the “Fifty Shades” trilogy has traded over 70 million exact replicates worldwide in e-book and print, making it one of the fastest-selling publication series ever.

The Launch of Charlie Hunnam in Fifty Shades of Grey

The Ripple (or Domino) Effect-- ever heard of it? An effect that is sparked by a single event or person and leads others to follow or events to take place. Fifty Shades of Grey has sparked a series of domino effects. For one, it has led stay at home moms and the traditional woman to voice their needs and desires more in the bedroom. Many mother support groups, women's online communities, and neighborhood book clubs have voiced the impact that this book has had within their own relationships and sex lives as it has stirred up a desire, a notion, a fantasy, that maybe not everything in life has to be mundane and predictable. Maybe there are aspects of one's adult life that can be new, fun, and exciting. Fifty Shades of Grey has caused a domino effect in bringing wants, desires, and voices to be heard by women in the bedroom.

Another effect that Fifty Shades of Grey has had on society is not only sparking new conversation, but bringing forth the work of other brilliant authors. Fifty Shade's of Grey sales topping over 20 million has caused a ripple effect and spoke in sales of Tallis Scholars' book from the Renaissance era, "Spem in Alium" which is a forty part motet that had very provocative and sexual scenes, themed very similar to that of the fictional characters E.L. James created-- Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. Who would have thought that Summer 2012's most sexual and entertaining steamy series would recreate a new success and interest in a fifty part series that is over four hundred years old?

The success of this book series continues to climb. E.L. James remains to be thankful and grateful for the book's success and tweets daily about her excursions all over the world for her book signing, leaving "Laters Baby" pins at her signings and keeping track of the fans' excursions and photos with them.

While the book continues to break records, the anticipation of the movie casting continues to make us anxiously await the roles that we've read about and fantasied about for so long. E.L. James has tweeted that the movie is far from being released but we can't wait to hear the latest movie news (hopefully) end of this week. EL James never expected the book to be this popular and with the up coming movie some say it will be even bigger than the book sales. We will have to wait and see in 2013.

'Fifty Shades of Grey' casts Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam

Now Charlie Hunman and Dakota Johnson have been cast as the two leads in the forthcoming Fifty movie, and the shock of the announcement has had time to settle in, we can take a calm look at the pairing. It’s an interesting pairing. Charlie is 33-years old and has been around for a while and Dakota Johnson is 23-years old, so the age difference is not too vast in terms of their real life ages. Christian Grey is 27-years old and that puts him in the same generation as the 21-year old Anastasia.

Dakota is closer in age to Anastasia and as one of the lesser names who were originally rumored to be playing the role, Dakota is a great choice. Age and the persona is so very important and Dakota has the willowy looks that are so necessary to carry off E.L. James’ student character who begins life in the story as a clumsy student who is shy and inexperienced in terms of physical relationships. Dakota should be able to carry this off well as the beginning of the plot is highly important to keep us glued to the screen.

Charlie has six years on Christian and because of Christian’s dark character, he is dark as in macabre in some ways as, it is hard to argue otherwise and that’s perhaps what has made Christian such a talked about character, Christian comes across in the book as a man who is much older than a youthful 27-year old. He certainly doesn’t give off the aura of a rich 27-year old playboy who sleeps around with endless women. Christian is highly determined in what he wants from a woman. Charlie should have no problem pulling this off. He’s a successful actor who has played demanding roles. Out of the two lead actors, who do you think will have to adapt more to their role?  Both have to be filled to remind us of the book characters and if Universal has listened to many comments about books-turned-film, there is an undulating current of “The Film is never as good as the book” 

This is something which can be somewhat of a problem for studios that choose to take characters from books and bring them to the screen. If we think of movies such as The Shawshank Redemption or The Color Purple both highly acclaimed books and both movies were popular and well-made and in keeping with the original story as much as they possibly could. Can Charlie Hunman and Dakota Johnson carry off these roles to have the Fifty movies romping home with the best-selling movie adaptation of all time?  The book trilogy has certainly gone global with over 70-miilion copies sold. 

It’s a touch call for a casting team, the studios, the book’s original author and the rest of the crew involved with such a monumental task. It’s a creative craft pulling together and while the lead roles are highly important, we mustn’t forget what goes on behind the screens. 

Can Charlie Hunman and Dakota Johnson pull this off and bring the images the fans have had in their minds since last summer and make this into the blockbuster the world has been waiting for? 

Harry Potter Star Emma Watson Out Of The Fifty Shades Of Grey Movie Running

Back in March, things got a little crazy, and there has been a lot of speculation about Emma Watson getting cast as the innocent Anastasia Steele. According to hacker “Anonymous” who hacked into German film distribution company Constantin, that Emma Watson had been cast as Anastasia Steele.

While Anonymous has revealed some big celebrity secrets and scandals, Emma Watson has come out and flatly denied being involved in the upcoming movie of Fifty Shades of Grey.

The 22-year-old Harry Potter star took to twitter to deny the rumors. It seems the actress is sick of all the rumors and speculations going around about her involvement with the movie. She tweeted: “Who here actually thinks I would do Fifty Shades of Grey as a movie? Like really. For real. In real life.” She then proceeded to post another cryptic message with just a question mark. 

Armie Hammer From the The Social Network To Fifty Shades Of Grey Movie

Apart from Hammer’s classic good looks, he does have an advantage in getting cast, in that he’s worked in The Social Network, with the same producers Dana Brunetti and Mike De Lucca who are producing the Fifty Shades of Grey movies. E.L. James herself has also hinted that the actor who’ll likely get picked won’t be whom we’ve all been expecting, and Ian Somerhalder has seemed less vocal about the upcoming movie as before. So does this mean that Armie could very well stand a chance at being cast as the infamous Christian Grey? Other actors who are popular choices for Christian Grey include Matt Bomer from White Collar and Magic Mike. Matt has a huge fan following, despite criticism from those who say he’s either too old to play the part of Christian Grey and those with more extreme viewpoints who are against the casting of an openly gay actor in a part like Christian Grey. Henry Cavill is also a rising favorite, especially since the relatively under-the-radar British actor is starring in Man of Steel which is coming out shortly. He’s got the looks and the talent to pull off Grey, and is rising in popularity in the polls. Another name connected with Grey is Arrow star Stephen Amell, who is supposed to be in talks with the production about the movie, which is exciting in itself since it looks like the studios are on the hunt for Grey already. 

Vanessa Hudgens or Selena Gomez play Anastasia Steele

The stories will continue to come out until we actually have someone selected to cast as Anastasia Steele , here is the latest news. Selena Gomez has been mentioned in association with the role, however back in January last year, she said the role of Anastasia Steele is “a little too much for me.” But, the actress went onto make the video parody “Fifty Shades of Blue,” six months later, which if you couple with Spring Breakers and her relationship with Justin Bieber, maybe she’ll change her mind.

Vanessa hasn’t come up in the Fifty Shades of Grey discussion, and it seems like she doesn’t have the fan following to set her up as Ana. After a poll asking if Hudgens is innocent and sexy enough to play Ana, a whopping 75 percent said no. It is surprising though, since she does match the description of being a pretty, brunette who is close to Ana’s age. She hasn’t commented on the Fifty Shades of Grey books either way, which might be the smartest way to go about things. Should the Disney and Spring Breakers stars be considered for the role of Anastasia Steele? Or do you favor the classic selection of Alexis Bledel, Emilia Clarke and Lucy Hale? Who do you think will get cast as Anastasia Steele?

Anastasia Steele Candidate Lowdown

The most hyped movie of the decade is coming closer to being made, with a projected release date for the summer of 2014. So, with such exciting news in the pipeline, it’s only a matter of time before the movie is cast – so let’s recap on all the popular candidates in line to play Anastasia Steele. According to fans, the most popular actress in line to take on the part of Anastasia Steele is Gilmore Girls’ Alexis Bledel. She has the look: she’s a petite brunette with large blue eyes and has an angelic look that would be perfect for the part of Anastasia Steele. However, Bledel is also in her thirties, and some say is far too old to play the 20-year-old virgin convincingly.

Kristen Stewart has been talked about a lot in connection to the role, but E.L. James is dead set against having the Twilight cast in her movie, not to mention that she’s been clear that she’s not interested in the part either. Mila Kunis was another name floating around, but those rumors have been put to a rest. Another big name was Emma Watson, she took to twitter to put a rest to the rumors. 

An Unlikely Casting Decision for Fifty Shades of Grey

Everyone is busy with the speculation on who’ll play the hot and sexy billionaire with Christian Grey, however there is one actor who’s name is being bandied about in association with the movie who we would never have expected – Mike Tyson. Now, before you panic, the burly boxer will not be playing Christian Grey, but simply Tyson is apparently going to get involved with the parody of the best selling  novel by E.L. James in the horror comedy Scary Movie 5. Mike Tyson is going to play alongside Ashley Tisdale and Jerry O’Connell, who are involved in a Fifty Shades of Grey inspired skit, where O’Connell will be playing Grey and will be attempting to seduce one of the Scary Movie characters. However, things are going to turn strange for the seduction, since it’ll involve goats, hot wax, chains and Mike Tyson. “Prepare for a night of unparalleled passion,” says O’Connell in the movie to Tisdale, “Your safe word is… deeper.” 

Latest Fifty Shades Announcements are made for planned leads

The casting rumours which have been rife are now rifer, if this is at all possible. New names are being thrown into the ring for leads roles in the upcoming (still no cast) Fifty Shades movie planned for release in August 2014. The latest name being thrown into the heady mix for the role of Christian Grey, the steamy billionaire, is that of British hunk, Charlie Hunnam. 

Charlie is well-known to the British public as Nathan Maloney in Channel 4’s drama, Queer as Folk. He was bizarrely spotted in a shoe shop in the North East of England, misbehaving (well, he should have no problems playing the very naughty Mr Grey at least) by a production manager who produced the eighties TV show, Byker Grove. This show launched the careers of the television presenters Ant and Dec who feature on many TV shows in the UK. He had a part in the movie, Cold Mountain. He has built a reputation for playing ‘mad men’ in movies and is highly particular about the movies parts he takes. He currently lives with his current girlfriend (never mind girls, we can look) outside of Los Angeles. 

E.L. James, we are thinking may well stick with a British male lead given her own nationality but seemingly, for the role of Anastasia, American actresses are cropping up regularly. The latest beauty to be rumoured to play Anastasia, is Dakota Johnson.

Dakota Johnson is the daughter of Melanie Griffiths and Miami Vice’s Don Johnson. She has great heritage in terms of acting. Her maternal grandmother is Tippi Hedrun, the actress who played the female lead in Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, The Birds. Her step-father is the rather delectable Antonio Banderas (now there’s a Christian Grey we wouldn’t mind seeing, yes I know, he’s too old) So it is not like she will be short of talented people to guide her through the role. Although I wonder how Dad fancies the idea of his daughter being portrayed in such an erotic manner. Dakota made her film debut in the 1999 movie, Crazy in Alabama where she played with her half-sister, daughters of their real-life mother, (Did you get all of that?  I was getting confused writing it) Melanie.

Dakota is also a model. Her most well-known modelling contract was with Mango modelling their jeans. She’s had various film roles since her launch into Hollywood and we like the idea of an actress with a good lineage. She’s almost blue-blooded when it comes to acting royalty. She certainly has it all going on her looks and it’s hard not to see where she gets them from. Her mother and grandmother are beautiful women and her dad’s not bad either. (I still prefer the Spanish lothario but I don’t fancy crossing Melanie, unless I’m completely sure of my territory) Despite all that, (yawns) it has been reported that the studio is absolutely nowhere near a casting announcement. We are on the hunt and we will report accordingly as more announcements dribble in. 

Elizabeth Olsen as Anastasia Steele

Ever since the Fifty Shades of Grey novels have been picked up by Universal Studios and Focus Features for movie adaptation, everyone has been speculating about who’ll get to play Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. So far, the fan favorites for the lip biting brunette beauty have included Alexis Bledel, Emilia Clarke and Lucy Hale, but it looks like we’ll have another actress to add to the list, Elizabeth Olsen the star of Martha Marcy May Marlene.

The blonde actress has been connected to the movie adaptation back in 2012, and the 23-year-old sister of the famous twins Mary Kate and Ashley has been a former favorite for the part of Anastasia Steele. The actress was a popular pairing with Armie Hammer as Christian Grey, and it looks like the interview Elizabeth had with Bullet back in July of last year has increased her chances of being cast as Ana in the movie.

Fifty Shades of Grey means maximum profits for publisher random House

The Fifty Shades of Grey series by E.L. James continues to break even more records. In 2012, over 70 million copies of the erotic novel were sold, driving publisher Random House’s profits through the roof.

Considering we’re in an economic crisis, Random House isn’t doing too badly, since their operating profit has leapt up by 75% year-on-year to €325 million in just 2012. Thanks to being in the spotlight with E.L. James’s book, the company will be merging with one of the biggest publishers in the UK Pearson’s Penguin, causing revenues to increase by 22.5% year-on-year up to €2.1 billion.

The usual number of sales on ebooks at random house accounts for around 20% of their total sales, but not since Fifty Shades of Grey has arrived on the scene, which has boosted this number to 50%, and the print version of Fifty Shades accounted for one in ten of the 750 million books that the publisher carries.

“In 2012, our profits and sales hit an absolute record level, a historic all-time high,” said Markus Dohle, the Random House chairman and chief executive, “Our success has shown again one thing very clearly, that the core of our business in the 21st century, in a digital age, remains the same. It is so important to continually invest in content and creativity and to market that well.”
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Although the publisher doesn’t want to solely thank Fifty Shades of Grey for the success of the company, it says that Rod Stewart’s autobiography and John Grisham’s The Racketeer should also be thanked as well.

“Clearly Fifty Shades was the main driver but it was not the only one,” said Thomas Rabe, the Bertlesmann chief executive, “In the middle of May we have Dan Brown’s Inferno coming.”

Fifty Shades of Grey began life as a piece of Twilight fan fiction called Master of the Universe that was then molded into the Fifty Shades of Grey we know today. It was released as a self-published ebook that went viral with its popularity, until Random House picked up the series. While novels in the past go through the traditional channels of a literary agent connecting with publishers, Fifty Shades of Grey has shown us that it is possible not only to break the rules, but to break into stardom. Maybe it’s a one off fluke, but maybe more and more authors will try to get noticed this way.