Charlie Hunnam, known by many as Jax Teller on FX’s Sons of Anarchy, has dropped out of film adaptation of 50 Shades of Grey. Hunnam, who was slated to play the titular BDSM-enthusiast and CEO Christian Grey, has dropped out officially because of his “immersive TV schedule which is not allowing him time to adequately prepare for the role” according to a statement issued by Universal. Several celebrity gossip blogs are reporting that his dropping out had deeper causes, including the unconfirmed notion one anonymous source gave that “he was feeling like it would be his version of Showgirls and he didn’t want to be remembered for that” as reported by hollywoodlife.com. Dakota Johnson (21 Jump Street, The Social Network) will still star as the film’s heroine, Anastasia Steele.

His personal reluctance, if the rumors are to be believed, is understandable given the high public profile that E.L James’s Fifty Shades trilogy has enjoyed since the first book’s release in 2011 and since the movie adaptation was announced in March of 2012. The trilogy chronicles the every-woman college student Anastasia Steele’s kinky relationship with wealthy Christian Grey as it deepens and convolutes over the three-book cycle.

The trilogy is often labeled as “mommy porn” for its graphic and nearly constant BDSM scenes, a legacy that has prompted much speculation on how the movie adaptation will depict the two protagonists’ relationship and the near-constant stream of smut that engulfs it. Following Hunnam’s departure, fan activism focused on what actor will replace Hunnam in that role has given way to a potential shortlist from Universal for the character.

The list, released by The Hollywood Reporter, includes Alexander Skarsgard (True Blood), Jamie Dornan (Marie Antionette, The Fall), Theo James (Golden Boy), and Christian Cooke (Magic City) as potential replacements for Hunnan. Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy, On the Road), who had apparently received an informal offer during the initial round of casting is unavailable to play the role due to his participation in Unbroken, Angelina Jolie’s film about Olympic runner Louis Zamperini’s imprisonment by Japanese forces during World War II. A fan petition seeking to instate Matt Bomer (White Collar) as Grey and Alexis Bledel as Steele has reached 88,650 signatures on change.org, but it is unconfirmed whether Bomer at least is officially in the running.

Not many comments have been made about how great all of this casting intrigue will be for promoting the Fifty Shades movie, and given that most reports take as given that the next two “Fifty Shades“ books will also have movie adaptations, whoever takes the role will no doubt return for the other two and will have the trilogy as one of the hallmarks of his career. The film is still set to be released on August 1^st of 2014, which means that new developments on the casting will be coming quickly if the studio wants to keep the film on track for production.

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