Who likes their kink handled with some Academy Award-winning panache? Hopefully for Universal Pictures and Focus Features, the answer is everyone anxious for the big screen version of "Fifty Shades of Grey." After winning an expensive rights bidding war back in March, the adaptation of E.L. James' erotic novel is moving forward with "The Social Network" producers Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti.
The ultimate piece of fan fiction, "Fifty Shades of Grey" began as a "Twilight" fantasy about Edward and Bella called "Master of the Universe" that got too sexual for "Twilight" fansites, so James (the pseudonym for British television producer turned author Erika Leonard) removed the story and adapted it into a tale about a love affair between a college student and a mysterious billionaire and the many different ways they like to have sex. "At its core, 'Fifty Shades of Grey' is a complex love story, requiring a delicate and sophisticated hand to bring it to the big screen," said Universal co-chairman Donna Langley in a delicately-worded statement. "Mike and Dana’s credits more than exemplify what we need in creative partners, and we’re glad to have them as part of our team."
Truly, De Luca and Brunetti did what many considered impossible, taking Ben Mezrich's "The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook: A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal" and turning it into an Oscar winner/contender, and they will surely find a good writer and directing team for the 'Grey' adaptation (and if they need some suggestions, we have a few). De Luca also produced "Moneyball," another seemingly impossible book adaptation, but this time, there's at least a tangible story to adapt, even if that story isn't for everyone.
Brunetti and De Luca, along with fellow "The Social Network" producer Scott Rudin, are currently collaborating on the Tom Hanks-starring "Captain Phillips," the true-life story of a cargo ship captain who gave himself up to Somali pirates to save his crew and was rescued by Navy SEALs. A year ago, the trio also purchased the rights to Mezrich's "Sex on the Moon," which is actually about the real-life theft and attempted sale of lunar samples by a NASA co-op college student in 2002. But neither of those projects are based on a book franchise that has sold into the millions, and we're sure Luca and Brunetti will want to strike while the iron is hot on this one. [THR]
