Image Credit: Rex USA
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, and wrote the 2011 Black List script Saving Mr. Banks. Banks is currently in production and co-stars Tom Hanks as Walt Disney during the time when he was pursuing the film rights to the book Mary Poppins (coincidentally written by another female writer with first name initials, P.L. Travers). Marcel will also produce The Madonnas Of Echo Park for HBO, according to a Universal-Focus Features joint press release.
James herself announced the news Monday morning on Twitter, gushing, “Hi guys, I’m thrilled to announce we have a screenwriter for Fifty Shades of Grey,” then directing fans to Fifty Shades‘ Facebook page.
Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti will produce the film, with James. “Kelly’s work demonstrates her flawless structural technique and passionate commitment to emotion, humor and depth of character which is particularly visible in the celebrated screenplay for the upcoming Saving Mr. Banks,” said De Luca in a statement. Added Brunetti, “We were all taken with the depth and passion of Kelley’s engagement with the characters and world EL James has created and we knew she was the right person to augment our Fifty Shades family.”
James’ Fifty Shades trilogy, about billionaire Christian Grey’s twisted, sexual, S&M laced relationship with student Anastasia Steele, has sold a staggering 32 million copies in e-book and print in the U.S. Now who will play Grey and Steele?
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