Fans petition "Fifty Shades of Grey" casting, producer defends choices
Not everyone is thrilled with the casting choicesfor the movie adaptation of "Fifty Shades of Grey."
An online petition rallies against Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam as the film's leads and instead suggests that "White Collar" actor Matt Bomer and former "Gilmore Girls" star Alexis Bledel take on the roles of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, respectively.
The Change.org petition explains: "Matt Bomer is the PERFECT DESCRIPTION OF CHRISTIAN GREY AND ALEXIS BLEDEL IS THE PERFECT ACTRESS TO REPRESENT ANASTASIA STEELE and if THEY ARE NOT, NOBODY WILL BE And I read the whole trilogy and I can assure that Matt is the perfect actor for this movie and Alexis too. So please PLEASE, all of the GREYsessed and Bomerettes in the world NEED those actors. They always will be for us the Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. WE CAN DO ANYTHING GUYS, ANYTHING."
At last check, there were 18,000-plus signatures and counting. Still, the people behind the film, due next summer, say they're happy with the actors who snagged the roles.
"Fifty Shades of Grey" author E L James reiterated her confidence in Johnson and Hunnam on Twitter:
One of the film's producers, Dana Brunetti, also defended the picks:
And Johnson's mother, actress Melanie Griffith, is certainly pleased:
"Fifty Shades of Grey,"to be directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, will hit theaters on Aug. 1, 2014. The book trilogy has been translated in 50-plus languages and has sold more than 70 million copies worldwide.
Tell us: Who would you have wanted to see in the lead roles?
