Two actors have landed one of the most talked-about roles in Hollywood.
According to E! News, Dakota Jackson and Charlie Hunnam have locked down the roles of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey for the big-screen. Hunnam will play the 27-year-old billionaire and Johnson will play the naive college student.
The film, which will focus on Anastasia who has a sexual awakening at the hands of Grey, will be directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and released next August.
According to E! News, Focus Features and Universal Pictures announced the castings Monday.
The "50 Shades of Grey" author book's author E.L. James, announced the news Monday morning:
I am delighted to let you know that the lovely Dakota Johnson has agreed to be our Anastasia in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey.
— E L James (@E_L_James) September 2, 2013
The gorgeous and talented Charlie Hunnam will be Christian Grey in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey. — E L James (@E_L_James) September 2, 2013
The 33-year-old British actor Hunnam starred in this summer's robot-monster battle "Pacific Rim." He currently stars in the FX series "Sons of Anarchy."
"I've been swaggering since I was 14 years old!" Hunnam told USA Today's Brian Truitt when touting the film Pacific Rim in July. In that movie, his character had to take a giant robot into war against futuristic monsters.
Dakota, who is the daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, is best known for her starring role on the now-defunct Fox sitcom "Ben & Kate".
The 23-year-old actress made her film debut in 1999's "Crazy in Alabama", in which she and her half-sister, Stella Banderas, played the daughters to their real-life mother, Griffith. The film was directed by Johnson's stepfather, Antonio Banderas.
Johnson has also had roles in "The Five-Year Engagement" and "21 Jump Street," and most recently teamed up with Penn Badgley and Ethan Hawke to star in the Shakespeare drama "Cymbeline".
In October, Johnson told USA Today, that she always knew she wanted to be an actor.
"This is my passion. This is my job. I love it more than anything," Johnson said. "I'm so happy when I'm working. I love doing improv. I love comedy. I have always felt this way, even when I was really young. I'd watch my parents work and think, yeah, I'm going to do that. It wasn't even a thing. It's the only thing I know how to do."
