Since Charlie Hunnam quit his lead role as Christian Grey in “Fifty Shades of Grey,” fans are waiting with bated breath to hear who his replacement will be.
Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Patrick Marber ("Closer," "Notes On A Scandal") has been hired to tweak the script,
according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Several big actors have since been connected to the role, including "True Blood’s" Alexander Skarsgard.
Some fans want the "Vampire Diaries" hunk Ian Somerholder for the lead, others want "Man of Steel" star Henry Cavill, while others want "White Collar’s" Matt Bomer, but who will be casted for the role is still a mystery.
Hunnam, star of “Sons of Anarchy” and “Pacific Rim,”
quit the adaptation of EL James' bestselling trilogy this past weekend, citing scheduling conflicts.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources say Hunnam, 33, struggled with the attention he received for the role, to the point that Universal recently hired bodyguards for him during the "Sons of Anarchy" premiere.
Time is running out for Universal Studios if they still plan to release the film Aug. 1, 2014, as they had originally planned. The production on Fifty Shades was set to start in Vancouver the first of November, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Dakota Johnson, of the Fox series "Ben and Kate," is the female lead for the film. Jennifer Ehle, of "Zero Dark Thirty," is in talks to play Johnson's mother.
Sam Taylor-Johnson (“Nowhere Boy”) is directing the film.
Now that Hunnam is out, there is question as to whether Johnson will keep her role.
According to ABC News, Taylor-Johnson casted Johnson as Anastasia Steele because she had chemistry with Hunnam.
“We both suggested I do a reading with Dakota, who was [Taylor-Johnson's] favorite,” Hunnam told reporters last month. ”As soon as we got in the room, I knew that I definitely wanted to do it. There’s just a tangible chemistry between us. It felt exciting and fun and weird and compelling.”
So is it possible that producers will be searching for a second lead as well once they find a new Christian Grey?
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