Charlie Hunnam has reportedly backed out of playing Christian Grey in the upcoming film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey.
Universal pictures has announced that Charlie Hunnam has stepped out of the lead role in Fifty Shades of Grey, the highly anticipated film adaptation of the best-selling novel of the same name.
The studio cited scheduling conflicts as the reason behind the star’s exit.
“The filmmakers of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and Charlie Hunnam have agreed to find another male lead given Hunnam’s immersive TV schedule which is not allowing him time to adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey,” Universal Pictures said in a statement released early Saturday.
The Hollywood Reporter has two sources alleging that Hunnam backed out due to “cold feet” that grew as production on the project neared.
The Sons of Anarchy star was announced to star opposite Dakota Johnson in the film last month.
The announcement was met with mixed reactions from fans with many thinking Hunnam was not quite the right fit for the role.
There is no word on a replacement for the actor. Fifty Shades of Grey is set to open in theaters on August 1, 2014. There is no confirmed date for the start of production as of yet.
Fifty Shades author E.L. James released two tweets about the news of Hunnam’s exit.
The first in anticipation…
Okay girls and boys – hold on to your hats – it's about to get serious…
— E L James (@E_L_James) October 12, 2013
and the second after the news was released…
I wish Charlie all the best. x
— E L James (@E_L_James) October 12, 2013
We will bring you more information as it comes. To catch up on all Fifty Shades news, check out the Fifty Shades of Grey fandom.