Charlie Hunnam

Charlie Hunnam

The casting for 'Fifty Shades of Grey' will be finalised within a few weeks.

The replacement to play bondage-loving billionaire Christian Grey in Universal's adaptation of E.L. James' erotic novel, after Charlie Hunnam pulled out of the movie last week, will be confirmed by next month as production is still scheduled to kick off on November 1.

At an NBC-Universal meeting yesterday (17.10.13) it was confirmed that Dakota Johnson will still play the leading lady Anastasia Steele in the Sam Taylor-Johnson's directed feature despite recent rumours she was planning to exit the show following Charlie's departure, according to Variety.

Hunnam officially pulled out of the project due to scheduling issues regarding his TV show 'Sons of Anarchy', but it has also been reported he quit the film after becoming "overwhelmed" with his newfound fame since landing the part in early September.

Several stars have already turned down the lead male role in the movie, including Ryan Gosling, Robert Pattinson and Shailene Woodley, while Chris Hemsworth and Aaron Taylor-Johnson have been linked to the part.

Meanwhile, Jamie Dornan - who is best known for his roles in TV shows 'Once Upon a Time' and 'The Fall' - is the latest favourite to land the lead part and sources claim he has already been approached by studio boss Donna Langley, although no formal offer has been made to the 31-year-old hunk.