50 Shades of Grey Movie Cast Rumors & Release Date: Author E.L. James Discusses Movie and Casting Controversy
The Fifty Shades of Grey film adaptation is scheduled to begin filming in Vancouver on Dec. 2. Recently, E.L. James, author of the erotic novel, sat down to talk about her nerves and the casting controversy.
"I'm terrified. Completely," James told Entertainment Weekly. "I've been terrified from the moment I published the book. My mother was terrified of everything, and so am I. It's a terrible way to grow up. You don't expect this kind of success ... My only ambition for the books was to see them in bookstores. This is huge, and there is this passionate fandom. We need to get this right for them."
Ever since Dakota Johnson was announced as Anastasia Steele and Charlie Hunnam was originally chosen as Christian Grey, fan backlash was strong. There was even an online petition created that demanded Alexis Bledel and Matt Bomer as replacements. The petition currently has over 90,000 signatures.
"I don't [read online commentary,]" James said. "It kind of freaks me out. I've avoided reading most of the stuff for a long time for my own self-preservation."
Yet the mommy porn writer, whose Fifty Shades trilogy came from Twilight fan fiction, knows the importance of fan opinion. When asked if she thinks fans will hold her responsible for the movie she responded with, "Oh God, of course they will. They hold me responsible for everything."
"I do [feel responsible to my fans], especially coming from a [place of] fandom myself," she elaborated. "It's such a weird place to be. What I'd really like to be doing is sitting down in a little room writing my next book. I miss it so much."
Still, James stands behind the casting selections, including Johnson who was cast first.
"She's an old soul, but she's so sweet and she has a wicked sense of humor," James said.
The author even stood behind Hunnam, who dropped out of the film on Oct. 12, allegedly because of a busy television schedule.
"[Fan reaction to Hunnam] was very mixed, and I had to get off Twitter for a couple of days," James said. "I wasn't surprised. People hate change. I thought there would be a few people upset, regardless of whom we had chosen. It was intense, but people came around to it."
Jamie Dornan has since replaced the "Sons of Anarchy" star.
"It was disappointing, but it is what it is," James said of Hunnam's departure. "I wish him well, and now we have Jamie [Dornan] and that's great. It's been interesting with Jamie. [Fan reaction] has been so positive."
Fifty Shades of Grey will be released Feb. 13, 2015, just in time for Valentine's Day.
"I'm still taking it all onboard: 'OMG, this is actually going to happen!'" James said. "I'm still pinching myself."