Could E.L. James and the rest of the production staff for the film adaptation of "50 Shades of Grey" finally have found their director? A comment made by actor James Franco seems to imply it. During an interview at the Sundance Film Festival, Franco let it slip that Gus Van Sant could be directing the film.
"It sounds interesting," Franco said when asked about the upcoming film. "I heard Gus [Van Sant] might direct it. If he directed it, I'd do it." The 34-year-old's comment follow ones days earlier during the film festival where he referred to the BDSM series as "the dime store version of bondage."
Van Sant, who directed several indie films as well as "Good Will Hunting," has not been mentioned as a possible contender prior to Franco's comment. If the rumors are true that he is a contender for the directing role, Van Sant will have to face competition from several fan favorites, including Catherine Hardwicke ("Twilight") and Steven Soderbergh ("Magic Mike").
In a fan poll conducted by Latinos Post in December, Hardwicke and Soderbergh lead as top choices for director, with 24.04 percent and 22.03 percent ratings respectively. The two were followed by Channing Tatum (17.72 percent), who was once a contender for the lead role of Christian Grey, and Mark Wahlberg (16.95 percent), who reportedly attempted to buy the rights to the film in early 2012.
British author E.L. James and her screenwriter Kelly Marcel have told reporters that finding a director will be crucial in the casting process. Both have also said that no casting decisions will be made until a director is decided on and the script is finished. Marcel joined the production team, consisting of producers Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti, in October.
The film, which is slated to be one of four, has not established a release date yet.
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