Slowly but surely the "Fifty Shades of Grey" movie is starting to come together. The most recent rumor is that Focus and Universal, which paid a reportedly $5 million for the rights to turn the series of sexy novels into a movie, may be close to picking a director.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, director Joe Wright has emerged as a strong contender.
Wright has a long-standing relationship with Focus and Universal. He has made four films with Focus including "Anna Karenina", "Hanna", "Atonement" and "Pride & Prejudice."
The news has not been officially announced and the Hollywood Reporter says no deal has been made yet. Reps for Universal and Wright have declined to comment.
If Wright nabs the job, he'll be working alongside producers Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti and screenwriter Kelly Marcel.
Other directors rumored for the role are Bennett Miller, Patty Jenkins and Gus Van Sant, who recently shot test scenes with actor Alex Pettyfer.
Rumors are still swirling about who will play Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele.
Ryan Gosling, Ian Somerhalder (who recently said he'd be keen to take on the role) of the Vampire Diaries and Michael Fassbender are among the favorites to play Christian.
Recently Stephen Amell posted on his Facebook page that he is not interested in the role. Jennifer Lawrence, Mila Kunis and Scarlett Johansson have all been string Anastasia contenders. Emma Watson was a rumored candidate for the role until the actress posted a tweet that she is not interested in playing Anastasia.
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