When Universal/Focus Features picked up the rights to Fifty Shades Of Grey last year, they wanted to move forward as fast as possible, realising that the books’ zeitgeist currency wasn’t likely to last.
However it’s taken them a while to get things ready, but after setting Sam Taylor-Johnson to direct last week, they’ve now announced that the global release of Fifty Shades of Grey will start in North America on Friday, August 1st, 2014.
Taylor-Johnson will direct the adaptation of E.L. James’ book, working from a screenplay by Kelly Marcel. Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti are producing the movie version alongside Ms. James.
Fifty Shades of Grey has become a global phenomenon and the trilogy has been translated into over 50 languages worldwide since its release. To date, the Fifty Shades trilogy has sold over 70 million copies worldwide in e-book and print, making it one of the fastest-selling book series ever.
The first book follows the relationship of 27-year-old billionaire Christian Grey and college student Anastasia Steele, which goes to lengthening BDSM extremes.