Jamie Dornan is not quitting the Fifty Shades franchise

Rumors have been running rampant regarding the unannounced, but inevitable, Fifty Shades sequels and the latest victim was the franchise's lead actor, Jamie Dornan. The rumors were that he was reportedly quitting the franchise because of his wife's discomfort with the role and his popularity.

Dornan released a statement today via his representative to set the record straight:

"Jamie is delighted that the film is breaking box office records worldwide and whilst the studio has not made any formal announcements about sequels, he is looking forward to making the next film."

In addition to that, it was made clear that Dornan would not be making any further statements until the sequels are officially announced. Many sources are now saying that both Dornan and Dakota Johnson have already signed contracts for the sequels and it's just a waiting game until the studio sorts out the problems and announces them. Johnson previously let it slip in an interview with Telegraph that it was a good thing she was excited for the sequels because she has to do them. 

I think at this point the best thing to do regarding this franchise is to not believe anything you read or hear unless it's coming directly from Universal.

Fifty Shades of Grey production delayed

Surprise, surprise.

It has been announced that Focus/Universal have made the decision to delay production on Fifty Shades of Grey by a little over one month. Now instead of starting on November 1st, filming will not start until an unnamed date in December if not later. This comes after Jamie Dornan was cast in replacement of Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey. Delaying the start of production could mean the film will not make the August 1, 2014 release date.

This doesn't come as a shock to me. My personal theory is the fact that no one wants to be in this movie is holding it back. So far several actors have passed on the supporting roles and the only supporting characters to be cast is Christian's brother Elliot (Luke Grimes) and Anastasia's mom Carla (Jennifer Ehle). There are still a lot of characters that need actors. Here are just a few:

Jose Rodriguez (Ana's friend)
Kate Kavanagh (Ana's roommate)
Ethan Kavanagh (Kate's brother)
Carrick and Grace Grey (Christian's parents)
Mia Grey (Christian's sister)
Dr. Flynn (Christian's psychiatrist)
Elena Lincoln (Christian's business partner)
Leila Williams (Christian's ex-submissive)
Jason Taylor (Christian's bodyguard)
Ray Steele (Ana's stepdad)



I think it's pretty unrealistic that they cast all of these characters and more in four days or less and give people adequate time to prepare. It's bad enough Dornan was just cast last week.
I think they should delay this movie anyway because it shares the date with Guardians of the Galaxy. There is no way this movie will beat that at the box office. 

Jamie Dornan joins Fifty Shades of Grey

After Charlie Hunnam dropped out of the project, we have our new Christian Grey.

Jamie Dornan, best known these days for his role in Once Upon a Time, has been cast as the young billionaire in Fifty Shades of Grey. The 31-year old Irish actor replaces Charlie Hunnam and puts to rest once again the fangirls calling for Matt Bomer. You also may have seen Dornan in the BBC series, The Fall.
He joins Dakota Johnson, who will play Anastasia Steele, in the adaptation of the first installment in the popular book trilogy. The story follows a young college student as she enters a controlling relationship with a troubled, BDSM obsessed billionaire. Dornan was brought in for a screen test on Friday of last week and beat out Billy Magnussen (As the World Turns) for the role.
Now Universal can focus on casting the other supporting characters, such as Anastasia's roommate Kate, which was apparently underway when Hunnam unexpectedly dropped out. Rumor has it that Juno Temple and Frank Grillo have passed on offers to join the project.


Judging from what I see, I think Dornan is a much better choice for Christian Grey. He is more attractive, in my opinion, and fits the character description a lot better. I also think he looks a lot like Henry Cavill who was rumored to have been considered at one time. We will see if Dornan remains attached, though. If the script was really the reason Hunnam dropped out we could potentially see Dornan leave too. We won't know until production starts.