A press release was issued yesterday and my RSS feeds are still filling up with the news The Social Network producing partners Mike De Luca and Dana Brunetti have won a bidding war and will produce the feature adaptation of E.L. James‘ bestselling Twilight fan fiction erotic novel “50 Shades of Grey” for Universal and Focus Features.
So, what is the news here? Why is this a story? Let’s check the tape and see what additional information anyone was able to bring to this story to even make it… a story.
We’ll begin, naturally, with the story itself…
THE PLAYLIST: “50 Shades of Grey” began “as a ‘Twilight’ fantasy about Edward and Bella called ‘Master of the Universe’ that got too sexual for ‘Twilight’ fansites.”
DARK HORIZONS: “The story follows the relationship of 27-year-old billionaire Christian Grey and college student Anastasia Steele.”
FIRST SHOWING: The relationship between Anastasia and Christian is “an S&M romance” where Christian is “the physical and emotional dominant to her submissive personality.”
FILM.COM: Apparently Focus’ CEO James Schamus is calling those involved with the production: “Team Fifty.” We also learn De Luca produced American History X, Magnolia and Drive Angry, which seems to suggest he’s almost like every other producer out there making good movies and terrible ones.
EMPIRE: There are more production credits as we learn “De Luca produced Ghost Rider and The Love Guru.” No one’s perfect.
THE WRAP: De Luca also produced Moneyball and James said she was “thrilled that Mike has joined Team Fifty… [h]e brings a passion for and in-depth understanding of the characters and story, and a wealth of experience in making quality films.” Could that word “experience” also be referencing something else…?
LA TIMES: Here we’re reminded of the story of how De Luca was involved in an incident in the ’90s, which EW recounts saying he was caught during a pre-Oscar bash at the home of William Morris exec Arnold Rifkin, “unabashedly receiving oral sex from a woman in the backyard.” The incident caused some damage to the promotion of Lost In Space, which De Luca produced for New Line.
I wonder if that’s what Universal co-chairman Donna Langley was referring to when she said, “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.”
LA TIMES: De Luca and Brunetti, producing partner of Kevin Spacey, are also “behind the upcoming Paul Greengrass-Tom Hanks drama Captain Phillips, based on the story of a Somali pirate incident.”
COMING SOON: Breaking some incredibly valuable information, apparently “[n]ow that they have producers, they need to hire writers and a director and cast the primary roles before they’ll be ready to roll forward.”
DEADLINE: Mike Fleming reminds us Angelina Jolie had an “informal conversation” about directing the film.
Taking Coming Soon’s lead, of course the film now needs a director, cast and even a writer… Wonder if they’ll get Aaron Sorkin or is that joke too obvious?
