Just in time for Valentine’s Day that year, the eponymous first film in the hotly anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy opened in theaters, the culmination of a relatively short but not drama-free journey from page to screen for the surprise best-seller by British author E.L. James.
Perfect for those still pining away for Twilight-caliber romance but ready to add nudity to the mix, the fractured-fairy tale relationship between Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) and Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) was ripe for the adapting, and three films were churned out between 2015 and 2018.
But nothing could compare to the excitement that awaited the original Fifty Shades of Grey film
And since seven years ago feels like forever-ago, there are plenty of juicy details we had forgotten about the making of this film. Now, in honor of Dornan’s birthday May 1, sit perfectly still and read on.
1. Finding the Screenwriter
American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis tweeted in June 2012, “I’m putting myself out there to write the movie adaptation of ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’…” And he meant it, publicly lobbying via Twitter and telling whomever would listen that he wanted to adapt E.L. James’ book for the big screen.
“I read the book out of curiosity. If it had not been as big of a hit, I would not have picked it up,” Ellis later told Vanity Fair. “I realized, Oh, this isn’t well written. It isn’t a good book. But this is a really good story, and it would make a really good movie.”
Instead, Universal’s Focus Features went with Kelly Marcel, who had penned the screenplay for Saving Mr. Banks—about Walt Disney’s struggle to get Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers to let him make a movie about her magical nanny. The Wolverine scribe Mark Bomback was brought in to polish the Fifty Shades script in late October 2013.
“I had never been on a project with that much secrecy around it,” Bomback later told The Hollywood Reporter about the experience. “The set was on lockdown, and it was just really fascinating.”
2. Angelina Jolie as Anastasia Steele?
Not so fast. Back in 2012, rumors emerged that Angelina Jolie was involved in Fifty Shades of Grey, not as an actor but as a director.
However, per The Hollywood Reporter, reps for both Jolie and studio Focus Features denied the speculation.
3. Charlie Hunnam as Christian Grey?
Casting rumors ran rampant as to who would play Christian and Ana (Matt Bomer was flattered; Emma Watson was not; Taylor-Johnson wanted Robert Pattinson), but Charlie Hunnam really was planning to make the film his next big project after Sons of Anarchy ended.
“There are so many fans of that book and I know that on the surface, I’m probably not what everybody imagined,” the British actor told Entertainment Weekly in October 2013. “Because reading is so personal and people bring a character to life in their imagination, they feel ownership over that character.”
He added, “That’s daunting if I allowed myself to think about it too much. I’m taking it very seriously and intend to explore the nature of who this character is, what motivates him—and also dress up nice and look good in those suits.”
Days later, he exited the project, officially due to a scheduling conflict but reportedly due to creative differences with the film’s creative team, including Taylor-Johnson, as well as second thoughts about whether it was the right career move for him.
4. How Dakota Johnson Got the Part
Young actresses ranging from Shailene Woodley and Elizabeth Olsen to Alicia Vikander and Felicity Jones were said to be in the running, but once Dakota Johnson landed the role of Ana, she kept it.
“She’s just so Anastasia Steele. She’s the best partner a producer could have,” De Luca told E! News, calling Johnson “our rock.” He said that the actress was “helping us look through the candidates [to play Christian] to see which chemistry kind of captures our attention.”
5. Enter Jamie Dornan
About two weeks after Hunnam’s exit, Jamie Dornan officially signed on. A source told E! News that the Belfast-born actor, best known then for ABC’s Once Upon a Time, “had a really good read” at his audition, but as far as chemistry with his leading lady, “the studio isn’t worried about Dakota. They think she could handle whoever the guy is.”
“I’m sure he’ll do a great job,” Hunnam told TMZ in passing.
