E L James Makes THR’s 2013 Women in Entertainment Power 100

Talk about power authors! E L James, Suzanne Collins, and J.K. Rowling were recognized by The Hollywood Reporter for having “the most anticipated and currently popular franchises.”

James is currently in production for the much-anticipated Fifty Shades of Grey. Collins’ The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is in theaters now and breaking box office records. Rowling inked a huge deal for a new Potterverse franchise.

Pretty impressive list. Pretty impressive women. Congrats, E L James!

You can read about all of the women who made the top 100 here.

Callum Keith Rennie Joins Fifty Shades of Grey Cast as Ray Steele

Although Ray Steele is technically Anastasia Steele’s ex-stepfather, she carries his name and considers him to be her “real” father.

Callum currently stars as Lew Ashby in Showtime’s Californication and, like author E L James, is a Brit.

To read more about the announcement, check out the exclusive from The Hollywood Reporter here. To read more about his career, visit IMDb here.

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Fifty Shades of Grey: “I’m here to see Mr. Grey.”

The chance meeting that changed everything…

Fifty Shades of Grey, Chapter One, pp. 4-5

THE ROADS ARE CLEAR as I set off from Vancouver, Washington, toward Interstate 5. It’s early, and I don’t have to be in Seattle until two this afternoon. Fortunately, Kate has lent me her sporty Mercedes CLK. I’m not sure Wanda, my old VW Beetle, would make the journey in time. Oh, the Merc is a fun drive, and the miles slip away as I hit the pedal to the metal.

Source: fiftyshadesofgreyfan.org

My destination is the headquarters of Mr. Grey’s global enterprise. It’s a huge twenty-story office building, all curved glass and steel, an architect’s utilitarian fantasy, with GREY HOUSE written discreetly in steel over the glass front doors. It’s a quarter to two when I arrive, greatly relieved that I’m not late as I walk into the enormous – and frankly intimidating – glass, steel, and white sandstone lobby.

Arrow’s Dylan Neal Joins Fifty Shades of Grey Cast

Welcome Dylan Neal as Ana’s stepdad Bob Adams. He will play opposite Jennifer Ehle’s Carla Adams (here).

A picture tweeted today from an outdoor set location showed a palm tree being brought in. With Deadline reporting that Neal had been cast and was set to film this week, it’s a safe bet that they’re filming the scene(s) where Ana goes to Savannah, Georgia, to visit her mom, which begins in Chapter 22 of Fifty Shades of Grey. 

Dylan Neal can be seen in the CW‘s Arrow, as well as the upcoming Hallmark Channelholiday movie Cedar Cove Christmas based on the book by Debbie Macomber.

Dylan Neal used to be on Dawson’s Creek.

Academy Award-Winner Marcia Gay Harden Joins Fifty Shades of Grey Cast

Veteran actress Marcia Gay Harden will be playing Dr. Grace Trevelyan-Grey, Christian’s adoptive mother, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter here and confirmed by Team Fifty via Twitter.

Harden won Best Supporting Actress for her role as artist Jackson Pollock’s wife (played by Ed Harris) in the 2000 movie Pollock. She earned another Oscar nomination for her supporting role in Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River. (Source: IMDb)

Very nice addition! And can’t you just see her going toe to toe with Elena Lincoln (aka Mrs. Robinson)?!

Once we get Carrick cast, the Grey family will be complete. We don’t know about the rest of you, but we keep thinking Kevin Spacey will be cast somewhere along the line. Both he and Marcia Gay Harden are 54. There’s Carrick Grey, Ray Steele, Dr. Flynn… You never know. Regardless, it’s so much fun seeing the cast come together

Rita Ora Joins Fifty Shades of Grey Cast as Mia Grey

Team Fifty and E L James have announced the newest addition to the Fifty Shades of Grey movie cast via The Hollywood Reporter here.

Rita Ora is a multi-talented singer/songwriter/actress discovered by Jay Z and signed to his Roc Nation label. She has a powerful voice packed inside her 5’5″ frame. Maybe she will find her way onto the soundtrack! Here she is performing a beautiful acoustic version of “Shine Ya Light” on On Air With Ryan Seacrest.

As FSoG fans know, Mia is the adopted sister of Christian Grey. Now we wait to hear who will play the parents of the Grey siblings and who will be cast as Mia’s love interest, Ethan.

We have our Taylor! Welcome Max Martini to Fifty Shades of Grey

We love this casting choice! After seeing him in Pacific Rim and then again in Captain Phillips, we discussed how he’d make a fantastic bodyguard for Fifty.

As head of security and an ally for Ana, Jason Taylor is an integral part of the story in our opinion. Team Fifty did good!

Eloise Mumford Cast as Kate Kavanagh

Every girl needs a BFF, right?

We’ve been really excited waiting for the news of this role! Now fans have a face to put to the name, Kate Kavanagh, also known as Anastasia Steele’s best friend and roommate!

Today, Variety (@Variety) confirmed Eloise Mumford will play the role of Kate.

We can see why Eloise was cast! By the looks of this picture, she definitely has us convinced she can portray smart, sassy, and fashionable, i.e., all things Kate! Eloise and Luke Grimes are sure to make a hot onscreen couple!

According to imdb.com, Eloise is a native of the Pacific Northwest, which may perhaps lend some usefulness to the cast and crew overall, given the movie’s predominantly Seattle setting.

Like the two main actors, Eloise is a relative unknown, but her role in the upcoming Fifty Shades of Grey as the fan-loved, Kate, is certainly about to change all of that!

To read the article in Variety, go here!

Fifty Shades of Grey US Premiere Date Moved to Valentine’s Day 2015

Not really a big surprise, but here’s an excerpt from the exclusive EW article with a statement from Universal:

…Universal says, the casting change is not the primary reason for the new release date.

More pressing is the crowded summer schedule Fifty Shades was originally competing in. Originally set to hit screens August 1, 2014, the film, based on the sexy best-seller by E L James, was set to go up opposite Marvel’s potential new franchise Guardians of the Galaxystarring Chris Pratt and Benicio del Toro. Internationally things are even busier, with many studios pushing their big tentpoles out of next June and July — to avoid competition from the World Cup in Brazil — and into August.

“We see this movie as a global event,” Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley tells EW. “The strength of this book is really worldwide, so we want to be able to take advantage of women who are invariably on vacation with their families during the month of August in Europe.”

Now the film will debut on Valentine’s Day weekend, beginning on Friday, February 13, which also coincides with the President’s Day holiday, giving Universal the opportunity to post a big three-day number for that frame.

“Together with the international marketing and distribution team, we’ve been looking really closely at the August date and becoming more and more convinced that the right thing to do for the movie was to push it,” Langley says. “So even if Charlie had stayed, we still would have been making the date change.”

You’ll want to be sure and pick up a copy of this special issue when it hits stands on Friday, because here is what you will find inside in addition to additional photos from the photo shoot:

• interview with author E L James
• interview with director Sam Taylor-Johnson
• interview with Jamie Dornan
• interview with Dakota Johnson
• the full story behind the casting of Christian and Anastasia
• which scenes from the book have made it into the script and which have already hit the cutting-room floor

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