Charlie Hunnam: ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ gets its Christian Grey (photo: shirtless Charlie Hunnam in ‘Pacific Rim’) In the last couple of weeks, the world has been rocked by several revelations that have left earthlings — depending on their particular expectations, prejudices, and mental health — infuriated, terrified, shocked, thrilled. Am I referring to the reported chemical attacks in Syria and the Obama administration’s determination that the U.S. should get involved in that country’s bloody civil war? Syrius Chemical Civil War? Is Obama endorsing a new video game? Is it in 3D? Nope, that’s not what I’m talking about. Nor am I referring to the ivory trade and the relentless poaching of African elephants, which will quite possibly lead to their extinction in the very, very near future. Or to the nearly 1,000 manatees and dolphins that have met with slow and agonizing deaths in Florida’s polluted waterways. Or to Edward Snowden and the NSA’s international spying scandal. Who cares about that sort of stuff? This article is about What Truly Matters. Following the announcement that Ben Affleck will play Batman in Superman vs. Batman — leading to gnashing of teeth, self-flagellation, and anti-Ben Affleck online petitions — now comes the news that 33-year-old Charlie Hunnam is slated to play Christian Grey in the Gone with the Wind of the 2010s: E.L. James’ Romance and Bondage novel Fifty Shades of Grey, with reportedly 70 million copies sold worldwide. So, Charlie Hunnam? The guy who starred in Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim, a costly box-office disappointment in North America? Charlie Hunnam? The guy who had one of the leads in the British Queer As Folk, legs up in the air and all? (See also: “Charlie Hunnam ‘Queer As Folk’ Male Bonding.”) Is the world ready? What sort of effect will the casting of Hunnam in Fifty Shades of Grey have on the planet’s melting polar ice caps and rising ocean levels? Don’t be too surprised if fans of James’ novel begin creating more petitions — Charlie Hunnam Cannot Play Christian Grey! — to be signed by tens (hundreds?) of thousands of concerned individuals in the coming weeks. After all, the planet must be saved! Remember: one Change.org petition to unmask Ben Affleck’s Batman has collected 90,434 signatures since its inception about a couple of weeks ago. For comparison’s sake, a 2012 petition to end the slaughter of elephants and rhinos fueled by the illegal Chinese market totaled 27,848 signatures. And a Moveon.org petition against U.S. air strikes in Syria currently has 45,442 signatures. It’s always inspiring to see Humankind joining forces to face Major Threats. Charlie Hunnam’s ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ leading lady: Dakota Johnson Charlie Hunnam’s Fifty Shades of Grey erotic – ahem, romantic — interest, Anastasia Steele, will be 23-year-old fashion model and actress Dakota Johnson, among whose credits are supporting roles in Channing Tatum’s 21 Jump Street, David Fincher’s The Social Network, and Chris Nelson’s Gay Dude. Dakota Johnson also happens to be the daughter of Best Actress Academy Award nominee Melanie Griffith (Working Girl) and former TV star Don Johnson (Miami Vice), and the granddaughter (on her mother’s side) of Tippi Hedren, the star of Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds and Marnie. Besides Pacific Rim — which grossed only a little over $100 million in the U.S. and Canada, but a remarkable $304 million internationally — Charlie Hunnam’s film credits include Matthew Chapman’s The Ledge, Anthony Minghella’s Cold Mountain, and Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men. Besides Queer As Folk, on television Hunnam has had a long-running hit with Sons of Anarchy. Robert Pattinson: First choice to play Christian Grey I should add that writer Bret Eaton Ellis (Lindsay Lohan / James Deen’s The Canyons) has tweeted that Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James’ first choice for the role of Christian Grey was Robert Pattinson, on whose Twilight character, Edward Cullen, Christian Grey is based. Karl Marx once said that "history repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce." So, I’d say it’s a good thing that Pattinson has found himself busy with other projects like The Rover, Queen of the Desert, Mission: Blacklist, Maps to the Stars, and his classy Dior commercial. Ellis also tweeted that neither White Collar‘s Matt Bomer nor Lost and The Vampire Diaries‘ Ian Somerhalder was ever in consideration for the part. Curiously, Bomer’s sexual orientation became an issue — could a gay man play Christian Grey? Yes? No? — for those too naive (or too stupid) to know when they’re being baited. Note: A petition demanding the casting of Matt Bomer as Christian Grey (and Alexis Bledel as Anastasia Steele) has to date garnered 12,986 signatures. (Man of Steel‘s Henry Cavill was another rumored possibility for the role of the Fifty Shades of Grey hero.) Anyhow, the likable and capable Charlie Hunnam will surely do just fine as Christian Grey. And let’s not forget that many fans of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight novels were outraged when Robert Pattinson was selected to play the lovestruck vampire Edward Cullen. And we know what’s happened since. ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ release date Fifty Shades of Grey is scheduled to hit theaters on August 1, 2014. For the time being, the cast of the film consists of Charlie Hunnam (like Robert Pattinson, English-born) and Dakota Johnson (like Twilight‘s Kristen Stewart, U.S.-born). Sam Taylor-Johnson, whose sole feature film is the 2009 John Lennon semi-biopic Nowhere Boy, starring her future husband, Aaron Johnson, is slated to direct Fifty Shades of Grey from a screenplay by Kelly Marcel, whose screenwriting credits consist of the sci-fier / adventure television series Terra Nova and the upcoming John Lee Hancock-directed feature Saving Mr. Banks, starring Tom Hanks (as Walt Disney), Emma Thompson, and Colin Farrell. Photo of Fifty Shades of Grey‘ Christian Grey-to-be Charlie Hunnam, shirtless in Pacific Rim: Warner Bros. This post was originally published at Alt Film Guide (http://www.altfg.com/). Not to be republished without permission.