50 Shades of Grey Movie Cast: Why Matt Bommer and Ian Sommerhalder Could Give Ryan Gosling a Run for His Money

Culture

Will the real Christian Grey please stand up? Ever since it was known that a film version of E. L. James’ controversial novel Fifty Shades of Grey is in the works, the internet has gone abuzz with speculation about who would be the best actor to play the main role of dominant and successful business tycoon Christian Grey.

And while the unanimous consensus seems to favor Ryan Gosling (The NotebookCrazy, Stupid Love), White Collar’s Matt Bommer and The Vampire Diaries’ Ian Sommerhalder could give Gosling a run for his money when it comes to being cast as the sadist and controlling Grey -- precisely because of their relative inexperience in the big screen.

The problem with Gosling, an A-list actor, is precisely his popularity. Fans would associate Gosling too much with his previous roles, which are usually sensible – the opposite to Christian Grey’s antics. In addition, Gosling would demand a much higher salary and perks given his status as a Hollywood top earner.

Bommer or Sommerhalder, in contrast, come from the world of television and could use Fifty Shades…as a trampoline to launch a promising career in film. Bommer, whose little film experience includes a brief stint in Steven Soderbergh’s Magic Mike, has both the physical characteristics and histrionics to deliver the part. While Sommerhalder, who also has little experience in the big screen (The Tournament, How to Make Love to a Woman), would also be a strong contender for the same reasons. Both will charge considerably less money than Gosling.

Fifty Shades of Grey, the movie, would start production as soon as this fall by The Social Network producers Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti. Universal and Focus bought the rights for $5 million in March – after a heated Hollywood bidding war. As of July 2, the book had sold 31 million e-book and print copies worldwide.