Dana Brunetti says he is aiming to make an R-rated movie and mulls over the idea of having a grittier N-17 cut released after the restricted version.
- Nov 16, 2013
AceShowbiz - "Fifty Shades of Grey" starring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson might be made in two steamy versions, an R-rated cut and an even raunchier N-17 one. Producer Dana Brunetti talks the film's ratings in a recent interview with Collider.
"It'll be R, obviously it has to be R," he says. "This is just my opinion and this doesn't mean this is going to happen, but I always thought it would be really cool if we released the R version and then we had an NC-17 version that we released a few weeks later."
"So everybody could go and enjoy the R version, and then if they really wanted to see it again and get a little bit more gritty with it then have that NC-17 version out there as well. It'd be great for the studio too because they'd get a double dip on the box office."
He says it could be a win-win solution because "what we're kind of hearing from the fans is they want it dirty, they want it as close as possible [to the book]." He adds, "We want to keep it elevated but also give the fans what they want."
Brunetti also discusses the challenge of finding the right actors to play the lead roles. "No matter who we cast, people were gonna be angry about it. And then we obviously had the one that we cast that ultimately didn't work out," he says, apparently referring to Charlie Hunnam who left the project not long after being officially tapped.
"We have to meet the ideas of the fans to an extent and make them happy - although you're not gonna make them happy because they're thinking of somebody else in their mind. And I always thought it would be better if we went with somebody unknown so then everyone can discover them together, that's where I really think we are now with Jamie and Dakota."
The producer continues, "You have to get actors that really want to do it as well, and that was a really difficult process because a lot of them didn't want to do it just because of what they either thought that it would require or what it will require, or what it will make them into; it's gonna make them into huge stars but known of a certain thing."
"So some actors might not be able to break out of that in their career when they wanna do other projects either in between the productions of the [Fifty Shades] films or beyond the films."
In a separate interview with EW, Dornan talks about getting ready for the role. "I certainly don't fear it," he says. "I already got a glimpse into working with [director] Sam [Taylor-Johnson] at the test, and I'd met Dakota by then. So I had a glimpse into how I felt it would be if I got the part. None of it scared me."
Of his physical preparation, the former Calvin Klein model states, "I've never felt that Christian needs to be some kind of monster, but I think it's very clear how he conditions himself and looks after himself. I take decent enough care of myself anyway, so obviously I'm gonna up it slightly with training, but we don't have any intention to really bulk up. I don't think it's appropriate."
The racy film is slated to come out on February 13, 2015.
