Add "Ben and Kate" star Dakota Johnson to the list of actresses who might play Anastasia Steele in "50 Shades of Grey." According to TheWrap, Johnson is a "serious contender" for the coveted role, joining past contenders like Emma Watson, Shailene Woodley, Alicia Vikander and Analeigh Tipton. None of those actresses, of course, are expected to actually appear in "50 Shades"; HuffPost Entertainment contacted Johnson's representatives to confirm the veracity of the new rumor, and this post will be updated with their response.
This has been a busy week for "50 Shades of Grey" rumors: On Tuesday afternoon, the website TWITCH reported that Charlie Hunnam was a front-runner to play Christian Grey in the adaptation of E L James' popular bit of erotic fiction. That was sort of denied by Variety, which noted that Hunnam had not yet been cast (something never mentioned in the initial TWITCH report), but was on the list of possibilities for the role.
Expect some actual news about "50 Shades of Grey" to happen soon-ish. The film is set for release on Aug. 1, 2014, meaning director Sam Taylor-Johnson would likely have to start filming in the near future to hit that release date.
[via TheWrap]
