Sorry, Gus Van Sant.  Apparently the proof-of-concept scene you shot with Alex Pettyfer did not convince Universal and Focus Features you are the man to direct the feature adaptation Fifty Shades of Grey, because they are still looking.  THR reports that Joe Wright (Anna Karenina) has emerged as a frontrunner to direct Fifty Shades.  Given its reputation, I am surprised the project is attracting acclaimed directors.  But Wright makes sense as a candidate, continuing his relationship with Focus Features after Pride & Prejudice, Atonement, Hanna, and Anna Karenina.  Wright has recently been linked to the Neil Gaiman adaptation The Ocean at the End of the Lane and a Houdini biopic.

Kelly Marcel is adapting E.L. James‘ novel about a literature student who “embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair” with young entrepreneur Christian Grey.  Read the book synopsis after the jump.

Director Gus Van Sant is apparently so eager to win the bid to direct the big screen adaptation of E.L. James’ erotic romance novel Fifty Shades of Grey, that he didn’t wait for Universal Pictures and Focus Features to ask him to shoot a test reel.  James’ novel centers around Anastasia Steele and her introduction to a whole new world of sexual discovery and risqué activities in the hands of billionaire Christian Grey, and the feature film adaptation of the book has been a subject of high interest.

Van Sant, who’s best known for directing the Academy Award-winning Good Will Hunting and the biographical drama Milk, reportedly shot a steamy sex scene featuring Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike) in an attempt to showcase his vision for the would-be film.  Hit the jump for more.

Universal Pictures had a pretty impressive 2012 despite the high-profile bomb Battleship.  The R-rated comedy Ted has now raked in over $500 million worldwide, and with a sequel already in development, Universal is looking to tee up a couple of other franchises in the near future.  Universal Pictures chairman Adam Fogelson recently sat down for an interview in which he revealed that the studio is actively developing a sequel to this year’s comedy hit Identity Thief, they’re working on a Snow White and the Huntsman sequel without director Rupert Sanders, they hope to make more Bourne movies, and they’re looking to get the anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey adaptation in theaters by Summer 2014.  He also talked a bit about their approach to the Van Helsing reboot.

Moreover, a separate report has surfaced claiming that Universal is also eyeing a potential franchise for last month’s horror film Mama, though the pic’s director isn’t exactly keen on expanding the premise into a sequel.  Hit the jump to read on.

Get out your tinfoil hats, another sign of the apocalypse is upon us.  Australian-based game company Imagination has created a Fifty Shades of Grey party game based upon the frighteningly popular erotic book series, which will be available in the U.S., Canada, the U.K. and Australia December 10th.  The game has been approved by the series’ author E. L. James (which is like multiplying by zero) and is set for an international release in time for Valentine’s Day.  “Oh jeez,” indeed.  Hit the jump to release your Inner Goddess (and possibly the contents of your last meal).

It was announced earlier today by Fifty Shades of Grey author, E.L. James, that Kelly Marcel would pen the feature adaptation for Universal and Focus Features.   The erotic trilogy tracks the relationship between college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a young business magnate, Christian Grey.  Known for its sexually explicit scenes of BDSM, Fifty Shades of Grey and its follow-up novels have sold over 40 million copies worldwide.  Needless to say, this is a big win for Marcel.  Hit the jump for more on the screenwriter and Fifty Shades of Grey. 

Warner Bros. has won the bidding war for the YA novel Beautiful Disaster from author Jamie McGuire.  The novel is being compared to the scandalous Fifty Shades of Grey,  but with less kinky sex and a broader box office appeal.  The story centers on Abby Abernathy, a college good girl who makes a bet with Travis Maddox, the tattoo-sporting campus bad boy that either ends with him being celibate for a month or her living with him in his apartment for the same amount of time.  Hit the jump for more on Beautiful Disaster.

Though it’s tough to argue for the artistic merit of something that began as Twilight fan fiction written on the internet, we’re starting to get an idea of what the feature film adaptation of E.L. James’ “mommy porn” trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey might look like.  Producers Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti have been tapped by Universal and Focus Features to produce the big screen iteration of Fifty Shades of Grey.  Somewhat surprisingly the studios did not choose some tween pandering or hyper-commercial duo, as De Luca and Brunetti both produced David Fincher’s The Social Network, with De Luca also producing one of last year’s best films, Moneyball.  Focus Features CEO Donna Langley had this to say about the hiring:

“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. 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.”

Hit the jump for more.

This weekend, Collider got to participate in the press junket for Savages, the new film from three-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone.  Based on Don Winslow’s best-selling novel, the story follows two Laguna Beach entrepreneurs, Ben (Aaron Johnson) and Chon (Taylor Kitsch), and their shared girlfriend O (Blake Lively), who run a very lucrative business selling some of the best marijuana ever developed, which attracts the unwanted interest of the Mexican Baja Cartel.  For more on the film, you can watch six clips here.

While we will run the interviews about the film closer to its July 6^th release in theaters, we did want to share what actor Aaron Johnson had to say to us about finally going into production on the Kick-Ass sequel, which is set to shoot in the Fall.  He said that he has gotten to see a script, that it keeps the standard hard R feel of the first film, and that he’s excited to get back in the suit.  He also addressed the recent statement that American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis made on Twitter about how he would be a good choice for the male lead in the film adaptation of the much-talked-about erotic novel, 50 Shades of Grey.  Check out what he had to say after the jump.

There’s a wicked rumor going around that Angelina Jolie (In the Land of Blood and Honey) may be in the director’s chair for the Fifty Shades of Grey adaptation, the Twilight fan-fiction turned bestseller (with over 10-million copies purchased) written by British author E. L. James and noted for its explicit sex scenes involved BDSM.  Keep in mind that the feature has yet to land a producer or a writer.  Add to it the fact that Universal (who bid a seven-figure sum for rights to the three novels) denies any conversations have been had.  Jolie is reportedly focused on Maleficent at this time and isn’t entertaining other offers.  But, hey, stranger things have happened right?  Hit the jump for more on Fifty Shades of Grey. 

Universal Pictures and Focus Features have come out the victors in the battle for the “mommy porn” series Fifty Shades of Grey. It’s not uncommon for studios to vie for the film rights to certain hot properties, but Fifty Shades of Grey is different for a few reasons. 1. The three-part romance series is heavy on the S&M and erotica, 2. The books rose to prominence as ebooks, and 3. Author E.L. James developed the story for Fifty Shades of Grey from her own Fan fiction work inspired by Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight books. What’s that last part, you say? Oh yes, we now live in a world where Twilight fan fiction is turned into bestselling fiction, which itself is turned into a hot feature film property. Hit the jump for more.