It was announced on Monday that the upcoming movie based on the popular book Fifty Shades of Grey will be produced by Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti. The pair collaborated on the Oscar-nominated movie The Social Network. The pair will work together once again, this time to adapt the racy novel written by E.L. James, according to Universal Pictures and Focus Features.
The rights to the trilogy were purchased by Universal and Focus for $5 million back in March after an intense bidding war in Hollywood occurred. The books detail a love affair involving a college student and a mysterious billionaire. The trilogy has sold over 31 million e-book and print copies across the globe.
“At its core, Fifty Shades of Grey is a complex love story, requiring a delicate and sophisticated hand to bring it to the big screen,” said Universal co-chairman Donna Langley in a statement. “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.”
Brunetti and De Luca collaborated with producer Scott Rudin when working on Social Network, which was based on the nonfiction book titled The Accidental Billionaires. De Luca produced the movie Moneyball in 2011. That movie was adapted from the book of the same name about Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane, which was written by Michael Lewis. De Luca and Brunetti are in the midst of collaborating with Rudin on Captain Phillips. This is a true story about a cargo ship captain who was held hostage by Somali pirates and then rescued by Navy SEALs.
“Michael De Luca is a dream producer, whose combination of vision, taste and fearlessness is the perfect match for Fifty Shades of Grey,” said Focus’ CEO James Schamus. “I am thrilled that Mike has joined Team Fifty. He brings a passion for and in-depth understanding of the characters and story and a wealth of experience in making quality films.”