Charlie Hunnam, star of the FX show Sons of Anarchy, has pulled out from his role as the S&M-loving billionaire Christian Grey in the movie adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James.

Universal Studios and Focus Features released a statement over the weekend. The statement said: "The filmmakers of Fifty Shades of Grey and Charlie Hunnam have agreed to find another male lead given Hunnam's immersive TV schedule which is not allowing him time to adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey."

The Sons of Anarchy star was confirmed as the lead role in the highly anticipated saga only five weeks ago. Author EL James tweeted: "The gorgeous and talented Charlie Hunnam will be Christian Grey in the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey." His co-star, 23-year-old Dakota Johnson, was confirmed on the same day.

Rumor has it that Dakota Johnson is also feeling the stress.

The shortlist for his replacement includes Jamie Dornan, Alexander Skarsgard and Theo James. Fans of the trilogy are calling for Matt Bomer and Ian Somerhalder.

--------------------------------------------------------

TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.

For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS

Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:
http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS

Stay connected with us here:
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS
Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS
Google+ http://gplus.to/TomoNewsUS

--------------------------------------------------------