50 Shades of Grey Movie Cast: Henry Cavill is Christian Grey (VIDEO)

Culture

The quest for the perfect cast to play Christian Grey in the upcoming film adaptation of E.L. James novel Fifty Shades of Grey is over.

It has been revealed that Henry Cavill, the English actor who will play Superman in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming Man of Steel, served as inspiration for the Christian Grey character.

Stephanie Meyers, Twilight’s author, told MTV News back in 2009 that Cavill (then 24) would have been the perfect Edward Cullen – one of the main roles in the Twilight book and film series, that ended up being played by Robert Pattinson, and in which the famous fictional character of Christian Grey was purportedly inspired.

The revelation has fans of both Cavill and Fifty Shades of Grey scrambling online to connect the dots as they make the case for their “Superman” as the ideal cast to play the S&M CEO of Grey Enterprises. 

To that effect, they point to Cavill's 2008 Dunhill London advertising campaign. The series of commercials feature Cavill about to board a helicopter emblazoned with a “G,” as he dominates London’s skyline wearing Grey's sharp signature tuxedo and cufflinks. Change London for Seattle, and you have one of the most emblematic scenes of Fifty Shades of Grey (when Christian and Anastasia ride “Charlie Tango” over Seattle's stunning skyline, all the way to Grey’s “Red Room of Pain/Pleasure." Here’s the commercial:

The claim lends legitimacy to the rumor that Cavill was already in preliminary talks with producer Michael De Luca, in his home of Culver City, California, in early July -- as the actor attended Comic Con in San Diego, to promote Man of Steel

So far, author James and producers De Luca & Brunetti (The Social Network) have remained mum about the upcoming movie's potential cast, as they insist they'd have to hire the screenwriter and director before the actors.  

However, that hasn't stopped online fans from speculating about who would be the best suited to bring to life the sexually dominant business tycoon and his fetish sex slave. Besides Cavill, Ryan Gosling, Matt Bomer, Ian Sommerhalder and Channing Tatum have been suggested as potential Christian Greys; while Emma Watson, Mila Kunis and Rooney Mara have been suggested for the role of innocent/curious English literature student Anastasia "Ana" Steel.