‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ Wants Joe Wright As Director [Report]

A new report suggests that the Fifty Shades of Grey film adaptation may have finally found its director, even as it continues to search for its two lead stars. According to several entertainment publications, Joe Wright is the lead candidate to direct the film.

According to The Hollywood Reporter and Variety, Wright is the top choice to direct the upcoming adaptation of E.L. James’ romance novel. Focus Features, the studio behind the film, didn’t confirm his involvement, but it’s a match made in heaven for several reasons.

First, Wright already has a great relationship with Focus, having made four films with them including Atonement and Anna Karenina. Wright also frequently collaborates with actress Kiera Knightley, so does that mean she could be our Anastasia Steele?

Possibly … but we’re not there yet.

Other directors considered for the role were Bill Condon of Twilight: Breaking Dawn fame, Patty Jenkins of Monster, Bennett Miller of Moneyball and Gus Van Sant. Van Sant shot test footage for the film already with Alex Pettyfer playing Christian Grey.

The weirdest rumor about Fifty Shades of Grey was that Angelina Jolie was in talks to direct the film and had a “conversation or two” with the studio about it. Dodged a bullet there, Fifty Shades fans.

Of course if Wright is selected, Fifty Shades will likely be a more moody and subtle character piece than it source material, and at the very least, everyone in the film will be extremely well-dressed.

But that still leaves us without a Christian Grey and an Anastasia Steele. Though numerous suggestions and rumors abound, the studio reportedly hasn’t started thinking about it so much, which either means exactly what it sounds like, or it means they’ve courted several actors already who just weren’t into S&M.

Do you think Joe Wright would be a good director for Fifty Shades of Grey?

[Image via: Helga Esteb / Shutterstock]