Ever since the Fifty Shades Of Grey phenomenon began to sweep the globe, a movie adaptation has seemed inevitable, and the latest word from Universal is that a film could arrive in cinemas as early as summer 2014.
Universal Pictures Chairman Adam Fogelson has described the property as the studio’s “absolute priority”, and has suggested that a release could be on the way sooner than had been anticipated.
“I don't believe that [ E.L. James ] had any interest in going to a studio where rushing it into production was the vision," says Fogelson. "I don't believe that the second or third film would have benefited from that strategy.
“And I think that there are totally legitimate questions about what this book is as a movie. I will tell you that it is an absolute priority for us. It's conceivable that we could be ready to release it as early as next summer.”
As for potential directors and cast, nothing has got beyond the rumour stage at this point. But if Universal have their eye on a summer 2014 date, expect that to change very quickly in the coming months…
