Fifty Shades of Grey

JP Liz V1

I assume everyone has heard of this book by now even my nan has (Twillight saga for adults but without vamps)

EL James first book in the trilogy has sold ten million copies world-wide becoming the fastest-selling novel of all time - outselling Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code and even JK Rowling's Harry Potter books

Film rights have gone to Universal Pictures and Focus Features and Bret Easton Ellis wants to write the screenplay and even Angelina Jolie expressed an interest in directing

The film Secretary covers the same plot

Lot of names rumoured for the lead roles, who would you like to see cast?

Morag

No one.
It's an awful book about an abusive relationship and the sooner it's no longer a fad the better.

aidan_walsh

Gilbert Gottfried.

OldeCinemaSoz

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

Bret Easton Ellis wants to write the screenplay

Leave that american psycho to it!



Maybe he should suggest David Cronenberg to direct? Maybe not!

Mickeroo

I literally gone from not knowing these books even existed to seeing stuff about them everywhere within a week.

The fact that it was originally written as a piece of Twilight fan fiction does not bode well to be honest!

don ramo

from what ive heard about it, theyd want a bit of nudity from everyone in this, so i was thinking Fassbender (i dunno if the film is something like shame), maybe Bale, for an actress maybe Olivia Wilde, probably Amanda Seyfred (doubt shed be up for nudity though), would love to see some one like Evangeline Lilly or Christina Hendricks, but id say they may be a bit old to play a college graduate,

Fassbender and Wilde i think would be great in a film together,

speedboatchase

The male actor will be a himbo, can't see an actor with gravitas such as Bale or Fassbender touching this project.

A question to those who have read the books - is there an actual plot that spans across the trilogy? I know that the female character signs a submission contract and has lots of sex but eh... does anything actually happen plot-wise?

phasers

I have read them, unfortunately. there is literally no plot in the first book, just sex held together with some flimsy rubbish. The second book is some crap about a stalker, and come to think of it the third one is too... These two have a lot of stalkers. They shouldn't even be allowed call them books.... God why did I read them? she doesn't even sign the sex contract in the end. Pfft.

Anyone who signs up to be in this film will not be well known imo, certainly not a big movie star.

humanji

The book is written as a bad porno, so why don't they just admit it and get some porn stars to be in it.

At least as fan-fiction the story of an immortal child molester grooming a school girl made for an interesting and creepy story.

DrumSteve

don ramo wrote: »

from what ive heard about it, theyd want a bit of nudity from everyone in this, so i was thinking Fassbender (i dunno if the film is something like shame), maybe Bale, for an actress maybe Olivia Wilde, probably Amanda Seyfred (doubt shed be up for nudity though), would love to see some one like Evangeline Lilly or Christina Hendricks, but id say they may be a bit old to play a college graduate,

Fassbender and Wilde i think would be great in a film together,

I'd seriously suggest you watch Chloe in that case.

don ramo

DrumSteve wrote: »

I'd seriously suggest you watch Chloe in that case.

ok:p:D

Kinski

don ramo wrote: »

from what ive heard about it, theyd want a bit of nudity from everyone in this, so i was thinking Fassbender (i dunno if the film is something like shame), maybe Bale, for an actress maybe Olivia Wilde, probably Amanda Seyfred (doubt shed be up for nudity though), would love to see some one like Evangeline Lilly or Christina Hendricks, but id say they may be a bit old to play a college graduate,

Fassbender and Wilde i think would be great in a film together,

Fassbender has already made that film, though. But Evangeline Lily? Yum, deffo her!

I'm sure the book is probably complete crap, but doesn't mean the film need be. The Godfather is supposed to be a dreadful novel, but in the right hands became one of the great Hollywood films of the 1970s.

DrumSteve

Kinski wrote: »

Fassbender has already made that film, though. But Evangeline Lily? Yum, deffo her!

I'm sure the book is probably complete crap, but doesn't mean the film need be. The Godfather is supposed to be a dreadful novel, but in the right hands became one of the great Hollywood films of the 1970s.

The Godfather? Give it a read.. you won't be disappointed. Fantastic book.

Kinski

DrumSteve wrote: »

The Godfather? Give it a read.. you won't be disappointed. Fantastic book.

I know it has its fans, but I know a retired screenwriter who said it was terrible. Peter Biskind was also very negative about it when discussing the production of the films in his book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls.

Interestingly, the studio wanted to change just about everything, including updating the setting to the 70s, and wanted to cast Laurence Olivier and Ryan O'Neal as the Don and Michael respectively. But Coppola became attached as director and opposed those ideas fiercely - he won the argument, and we have the classic we know today.

DrumSteve

Kinski wrote: »

I know it has its fans, but I know a retired screenwriter who said it was terrible. Peter Biskind was also very negative about it when discussing the production of the films in his book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls.

Interestingly, the studio wanted to change just about everything, including updating the setting to the 70s, and wanted to cast Laurence Olivier and Ryan O'Neal as the Don and Michael respectively. But Coppola became attached as director and opposed those ideas fiercely - he won the argument, and we have the classic we know today.

Each to their own I guess, but maybe make your own mind up about these things; I'd definitely recommend it though the film is so brilliant of course it's gonna make the book look bad.

Sleepy

Kinski wrote: »

Evangeline Lily? Yum, deffo her!

Can pretty much guarantee she's not about to appear in a porno. She's apparently something of a Christian fundamentalist...

Reckon the most likely person to be cast in muck like this would be Ron Jeremy tbh.

chin_grin

Didn't they make a movie like this before....starring Madonna and Willem Defoe?

Beruthiel

Considering all the wonderful books out there that could make fantastic films, I am appalled that trees died in order to print this crap.
Words fail me to think it is a worlds best seller and the fact that they are already talking about making it into a film makes me weep for humanity.

Mickeroo

chin_grin wrote: »

Didn't they make a movie like this before....starring Madonna and Willem Defoe?

Body of Evidence?

chin_grin

Mickeroo wrote: »

Body of Evidence?

Yeah...or am I just remember certain scenes from that movie. "eff this and eff that", "ride me sideways was another one!".

So it's essentially going to be a 2 hour long porno? Screw that, 15 minutes is long enough.

chin_grin

Deleted User wrote: »

So it's essentially going to be a 2 hour long porno? Screw that, 15 minutes is long enough.

Which reminds me, has anyone mentioned Sasha Grey to star? Seeing she's in the "serious acting business" now.

She'd be perfect AND could do all her own 'stunts'. :pac:

Kinski

Sleepy wrote: »

Can pretty much guarantee she's not about to appear in a porno. She's apparently something of a Christian fundamentalist...

Reckon the most likely person to be cast in muck like this would be Ron Jeremy tbh.

I don't think Angelina Jolie and Brett Easton Ellis are going to be producing/writing a porno either. Depictions of explicit sex does not equal porn.

I have heard that about Lilly; here she is celebrating The Creator's handiwork.

Sleepy

I'd imagine the closest connection the project has to either Angelina Jolie or Brett Easton Ellis is that their publicists thought it'd be clever to associate them with it. Jolie seems involved enough in BDSM to know that what's depicted in these books isn't a healthy Sub/Dom relationship and I'd be amazed if a writer of Ellis' calibre had any interest in trying to polish a turd.

Depictions of explicit sex doesn't equal porn. But depictions of explicit sex without any artistic merit does. Unless everything bar the most basic premise of the books and the title are thrown out (i.e. they just use the brand rather than any of the content) I can't see anything of artistic merit being made from them.

speedboatchase

Sweeping statement I know, but I'm surprised and a little saddened that a piece of former Twilight fan fiction (!) with a Mills and Boon plot about a vulnerable, billionaire (of course he's a billionaire) bad boy as an abusive lover can have such an effect on generations of women. Disturbing for quite a few reasons.

Sharrow

Sharrow wrote: »

No one.
It's an awful book about an abusive relationship and the sooner it's no longer a fad the better.

is it? i thought it was supposed to be run of the mill D/s
don't know a damn thing about it other than that and "twilight fanfic" though

Funglegunk

bluewolf wrote: »

is it? i thought it was supposed to be run of the mill D/s
don't know a damn thing about it other than that and "twilight fanfic" though

Basically erotica dressed up as mainstream with excruciatingly clunky prose. Also, the main character's name is 'Anastasia Steele'. That tells me all I need to know anyway.

xtal191

Bret Easton Ellis has definitely said he wants to write, I remember reading it on his twitter ages ago!

mike65

Maybe finally Hollywood will do a porno, Brian De Palma was seriously considering it for Body Double in 1984 he even had a porn actress lined up but the company chickened out as they ran from the horror of releasing an X cert.

Mickeroo

speedboatchase wrote: »

Sweeping statement I know, but I'm surprised and a little saddened that a piece of former Twilight fan fiction (!) with a Mills and Boon plot about a vulnerable, billionaire (of course he's a billionaire) bad boy as an abusive lover can have such an effect on generations of women. Disturbing for quite a few reasons.

If there's anyone on here studying sociology, there's your final year thesis right there!

Ant

JP Liz V1 wrote: »

I assume everyone has heard of this book by now even my nan has (Twillight saga for adults but without vamps)

I'd never heard of it up until a few hours ago when my girlfriend showed me a news report of the bizarre case of a man who was convicted of assaulting his girlfriend with brown sauce for reading such filth. :eek:

It's grand if people get their kicks from reading porn/erotica but from reading the posts I can't imagine, I'll be waiting for this film to be made. Hollywood, more often than not, turns a good book into a mediocre to bad film rather than the other way around.

Handsome Bob

speedboatchase wrote: »

Sweeping statement I know, but I'm surprised and a little saddened that a piece of former Twilight fan fiction (!) with a Mills and Boon plot about a vulnerable, billionaire (of course he's a billionaire) bad boy as an abusive lover can have such an effect on generations of women. Disturbing for quite a few reasons.

All I needed to know. Jesus christ, I wonder if that was her or her agent's opening line when pitching this to publishers.

Agent: Hey, I've got this writer who has an idea for a book, it's like Twilight but with porn........

Publisher: We'll give her a 3 book deal.

Life, I do believe you are a relentless, fucking giant, bitch.

OldeCinemaSoz

It's only a bit of fun, populist pap.
Why all the negativity?
Benchley was on the same ropes in '75
and we all know how that turned out to be.

JP Liz V1

Source

At long last, Universal Pictures and Focus Features announced on Monday the screenwriter for the film adaptation of E L James’ wildly popular and naughty book series Fifty Shades of Grey.
The lucky lady is Kelly Marcel, who co-created the short-lived Fox TV series Terra Nova

Surprised they went with an unknown female writer tbh and someone who is not happy

Bret Easton Ellis on twitter

'Kelly Marcel?!? KELLY MARCEL?!? Kelly Marcel is WRITING the script for 'Fifty Shades of Grey'?!? THIS is the movie they want to make? ARGH ,'

Funglegunk

Surprised Bret Easton Ellis cares so much about who is writing the script? Is he a fan of the book or something?

Beruthiel

If I start praying to every god under the sun now, going back 3000 years or so, what are the chances of this piece of trash never hitting a screen in my life time?

Sleepy

Perhaps he had some high-concept notion that would have turned it into a darkly comic piece making fun of the sheep that bought the book? Something along the lines of the bored housewives of America being the submissive to the dominant master of materialistic herd following?

Surprised to see Marcel involved. Whilst Terra Nova was based on an idea most 10 year old boys would have written a story on in English class at some point, it was quite enjoyable popcorn. I'd have thought she was over-qualified tbh.

Das Kitty

Funglegunk wrote: »

Surprised Bret Easton Ellis cares so much about who is writing the script? Is he a fan of the book or something?

He has something negative to say about everything on Twitter. Fine with regard to horrible and potentially damaging things like this pile of tripe, but he can be deeply unpleasant and sneering on subjects undeserving of bile.

JP Liz V1

Joe Wright and Gus Van Sant linked with director job

JP Liz V1

Sam Taylor has been given the director's job, wonder will she cast her fella actor Aaron Johnson as Christian :P

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

She's a pervy auld cradle snatcher herself so she's well suited to it.

JP Liz V1

The leads have been cast with Dakota Johnson playing Anastasia Steele and Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey

Have they not missed the bandwagon for Fifty Shades of Grey though?

humanji

Softcore porn will never go out of fashion!

humanji

humanji wrote: »

Softcore porn will never go out of fashion!

But do you reckon it'll even be that?

From what I've heard about the book, there is a lot of sex in it. But to actually accommodate that into a movie will ensure an NC-17 most likely, which, as far as I'm aware, is effectively a death sentence for any movie's box office in the States. So it'll have to be limited to a PG-13 or an R, meaning that it'll be very limited in content.

e_e

Deleted User wrote: »

From what I've heard about the book, there is a lot of sex in it. But to actually accommodate that into a movie will ensure an NC-17 most likely, which, as far as I'm aware, is effectively a death sentence for any movie's box office in the States. So it'll have to be limited to a PG-13 or an R, meaning that it'll be very limited in content.

I think that'd mainly be a problem if it was a small independent or foreign film. The MPAA seems a lot more forgiving towards big studio movies, probably because they pay their salary.

humanji

I can't see them being able to make even a remotely good film with this. Partly because fo the source material, but also because they'll have to dilute the sexual content and focus more on the characters. And the characters aren't particularly well written and only stood out because of the sexual content. If I was a betting man, I'd put good money on this to sweep the Razzies.

krudler

humanji wrote: »

I can't see them being able to make even a remotely good film with this. Partly because fo the source material, but also because they'll have to dilute the sexual content and focus more on the characters. And the characters aren't particularly well written and only stood out because of the sexual content. If I was a betting man, I'd put good money on this to sweep the Razzies.

A child with a crayon wedged between their toes could write a better book in fairness. It's appallingly bad. it's like The Room of popular books :pac:

e_e

krudler wrote: »

A child with a crayon wedged between their toes could write a better book in fairness. It's appallingly bad. it's like The Room of popular books :pac:

Ah ha ha! What a story krudler! :pac:

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

I've heard a rumour that David Gray is doing the soundtrack. He and Macy Gray are doing a duets album of sexy songs. It includes covers of Color Me Bad's "I Wanna Sex You Up", Boyz II Men's "I'll Make Love To You" and Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines".

Sleepy

Surely given that it's a movie about an abusive relationship they'll be using some Chris Brown or the Prodigy's "Smack My Bitch Up"?

This will bomb. The book only did so well as it came out at the same time as the Kindle.