With Charlie Hunnam having dropped out of Fifty Shades of Grey, the race is now on to find a new leading man. With names like Theo James, Alexander Skarsgard and Jamie Dornen in the mix, it looks like the studio is wasting no time in finding a replacement. Now, we’re hearing that one more actor is being eyed: Francois Arnaud.
Perhaps best known for his role on The Borgias as Ceasre Borgia, Arnaud is being looked at for the role of Christian Grey, but no formal offer has been made just yet. He has been approached though, so that’s something.
In other Fifty Shades of Grey news, we’re hearing that Hunnam was only being offered $125,000 to do the film. To start off with, the actor was never fully on board with the role, he was always “uneasy” about taking it on. When he read the script, he actually submitted his own script notes and asked for script approval, which the studio wouldn’t give him. Adding to all this was the paltry salary mentioned above, leading Hunnam to depart the film.
Now, $125,000 isn’t exactly peanuts. Rooney Mara earned the same for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, another risky role that did ultimately lead to her breaking out. But still, Hunnam has a huge fanbase thanks to his work on Sons of Anarchy. He also performed very well in Pacific Rim this summer, so $125,000 does seem a bit low.
Furthermore, starring in the Fifty Shades of Grey film isn’t exactly a safe bet for any actor. Due to the subject material and the fact that it will probably be panned by critics, there is a good deal of risk associated with taking on a role like this. One would think that the studio would be offering more dough.
With an August 1st, 2014 release date already penciled in, it won’t be long before Universal finds their Christian Grey. When they do, we’ll be sure to let you know.