Bret Easton Ellis Out Of '50 Shades Of Grey,' Goes Off On Matt Bomer
by Sean Comer
Bret Easton Ellis claims that through no choice of his own, he's out of the running to adapt literotica phenomenon "50 Shades of Grey" to the big screen, NME reported Wednesday.
The "American Psycho" and "Less Than Zero" author announced this past July that he'd been through a "very positive meeting" to craft the E.L. James bestseller into a script to be produced by "The Social Network" producers Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti.
Ellis' first screenplay, "The Canyons" starring Lindsay Lohan, started production last month, not far off his "50 Shades of Grey" meeting. "The Canyons is currently set for a 2013 Sundance Film Festival premiere.
To judge strictly from his tweets, Ellis is a bit surprised, perhaps disappointed, maybe a little passive-aggressive, but with no apparent ax to grind.
Well, not over his subtraction from contention, anyway.
It's a very major disappointment to announce that I've somehow been taken off the list of possible screenwriters for Fifty Shades of Grey...
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 7, 2012
Not long after, he tweeted to James' own account, "I hope you find someone as passionate as I was about 'Fifty Shades of Grey.' I will miss it. Move on. Laters, baby..."
Ellis then went off onto a stunning 15-tweet case against openly gay "White Collar" star Matt Bomer being favored to portray the titular Christian Grey.
In its entirety....
Okay. Let's finalize this. Matt Bomer is totally hot and a very good actor. He is NOT right for Christian Grey and it complicates the role.
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
Fifty Shades of Grey: Matt Bomer: I don't care how good an actor you are but being married to another man complicates things for playing CG.
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
Fifty Shades of Grey: Matt Bomer is NOT about discrimination. It's about an intensely straight actor wanting absolutely to screw Ana Steele.
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
Fifty Shades of Grey: the most popular book on the planet having Matt Bomer--a gay actor--play Christian Grey is absolutely ludicrous. Why?
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
Jesus, the homophobia over Matt Bomer not being Christian Grey is so unsettling and aesthetically retarded. He's NOT right for Christian G.
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
Okay I'll say it. Matt Bomer isn't right for Christian Grey because he is openly gay. He's great for other roles but this is too big a game.
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
And I think if Matt Bomer wants the role which I doubt the international press tour will be an embarrassing fiasco. He's not CG. Never...
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
I am NOT discriminating Matt Bomer because of his sexuality. Fifty Shades of Grey demands an actor that is genuinely into women. Get it?!?
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
I actually think it's cool that women want Matt Bomer as Christian Grey. It means that we've moved beyond stereotypes and that gay is hot...
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
I think Matt Bomer is incredibly handsome and a good actor but I think he comes off totally gay in White Collar. And that is why no to CG...
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
Look, all actors are GAY: they put on make up and pretend to be someone else. That's just a fact. Rock and roll. Deal with it. Scientology?
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
Would anyone watch Brokeback Mountain if it stayed true to the original story where both characters are hideously ugly? No. Homo beauty WIN?
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
Hollywood is the most homophobic place in the entire world.
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
Why Brokeback Mountain was a hit was because it starred two beautiful actors instead of two real ugly characters from the story. Producers.
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
Final word: there is no way in hell that the makers of "Fifty Shades of Grey" will hire an openly gay actor to play Christian Grey. Period.
— Bret Easton Ellis (@BretEastonEllis) August 8, 2012
According to The Hollywood Reporter, producers have their shortlist down to four candidates.
Karen Croner has previously worked with Universal, scripting Tina Fey and Paul Rudd's "Admission" from Jean Hanff Koreltiz's 2009 novel, and adapting Anna Quindlen's "One True Thing" into a picture that eventually starred Renee Zellwegger and Meryl Streep.
Dan Fogelman being selected would mean quite the shift, since he's currently best known for writing Disney's "Bolt" and "Cars 2." Veena Sud worked on AMC's departed drama "The Killing" and also a remake of Alfred Hitchcock's "Suspicion," giving her some experience with adaptation. Finally, Kelly Marcel worked on FOX's failed humans-and-dinosaurs drama "Terra Nova" and wrote the upcoming Emma Thompson-Tom Hanks film "Saving Mr. Banks."