Yesterday we commented on the announcement that the uber-popular sex novel Fifty Shades of Grey would not be adapted for the large screen by American Psycho’s Bret Easton Ellis. (Even though he really, really wanted to.) Instead, the job will go to Terra Nova scribe, Kelly Marcel, which pissed Mr. Ellis off to no end.
We reached out to the Nikki Finke-fighting auteur–whose film The Canyons just got a trailer–to have him elaborate on his booing of Ms. Marcel.
Mr. Ellis wrote to The Observer that he did not mean to diss Ms. Marcel, (“kudos to her for getting a much sought-after job plus she looks hot,” he wrote), but that in choosing her, the Fifty Shades team–“which I think is basically E.L. James with DeLuca and Dana as figureheads,” plus an unnamed director–has revealed themselves to be going with the “soft choice.”
“.What could have been a cool, adult adaptation is going to be a severely watered-down ‘family’ film which will do nothing to make the naysayers of the book see that there was something legitimately and cinematically interesting floating through that material. (Sorry haters–there is.)” Mr Ellis wrote, continuing:
“I hope I’m wrong. I hope Marcel rises to the occasion. There’s just nothing in her credits that suggests she’s the right fit. And if the filmmakers ever need anyone for a rewrite job, well, I’m not holding my breath since it now looks like they’d go to Nancy Meyers.”
