The CEO of cable channel Starz thinks E.L. James' "Fifty Shades of Grey" should have been adapted into a series, not a movie, and he previously tried to turn his idea into a reality.

According to Entertainment Weekly, CEO Chris Albrecht attended the Television Critics Association press tour on Friday, where he revealed his perception of how visual media should take on "Fifty Shades of Grey" and its sequels "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed."

The CEO started off by comparing James' erotic tale to "Outlander," an upcoming romantic fantasy Starz series based on Diana Gabaldon's novel series. Starz' "Outlander" will follow about one novel per season.

"If you read the ['Outlander'] book, this could only be a series," Albrecht said.

Albrecht also revealed that he tried to proposition Universal Studios, the studio behind the "Fifty Shades of Grey" movie adaptation, to take a "Outlander"-like approach with the "Fifty Shades" trilogy.

"I'm the guy who called up Universal and said, 'I'll get you three years on the air as a series. Let's just do a 'Fifty Shades of Grey' series,'" he said. "You don't have to worry about box office. You don't have to worry about a rating. You can tell the story the right way."

Unfortunately for television fans, Universal had their own plans for "Fifty Shades."

"But movie people think things should be movies, and authors think things should be movies because up until recently, movies have been the Tiffany-jeweled crown," Albrecht explained. "And certainly from what I see you people writing, that seems to be changing."

"Fifty Shades of Grey" hits theaters Feb. 13, 2015. According to James, the movie's trailer will be released this month.

"Hold on to your hats folks. You'll get your first look at the FSoG movie trailer on July 24. I've had a sneak peek and WOW! #WeAimToPlease," James wrote via Twitter on July 9.
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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