‘50 Shades of Grey’ Movie Rumors and Release Date: Max Martini Joins After Charlie Hunnam Quits [UPDATE]

There has been yet another update in the 50 Shades of Grey movie. With a pushed back release date, more time has been dedicated to the casting of the film. Max Martini will be joining the cast, after Charlie Hunnam quit the coveted role of Christian Grey.

Max Martini will be portraying Christian Grey’s bodyguard in the upcoming film. IBT offers the following synopsis of Max’s character:

“The character of Jason Taylor, referred to mostly as just Taylor in the book trilogy, is BDSM-obsessed billionaire Christian Grey’s (Jamie Dornan) right-hand man and lead security officer. A former member of the military, Taylor is frequently described as being a tall, muscular man in his late 30s. In the books (spoiler alert), Taylor’s plot lines consist of protecting Grey and his lover, Anastasia Steele, from various personalities. At the end of the series, Taylor’s character settles down with Grey’s fellow employee, his longtime housekeeper and chef, Gail Jones.”

Martini will be the third actor to join the cast since Charlie Hunnam’s high-profile split from the project. The studio released the following statement on Twitter:

“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.”

Of course, there are varying reports as to what actually caused the split. Huffington Post alleges that the conflict was over a terrible script. After Charlie insisted on a rewrite, things quickly deteriorated:

“That led to intensified conflict between the studio and Hunnam, who shortly thereafter threatened to drop the role of Christian Grey. The actor's team reportedly advised him to keep the gig so as not to damage relations with the studio, but his mind was apparently made up.

“In an effort to appease the star, Universal hired Patrick Marber ("Closer," "Notes on a Scandal") to do some rewrites on the script--but the next day Hunnam announced his departure. (The official reason cited was Hunnam's production schedule on "Sons of Anarchy," but "50 Shades" is slated to begin work after production on "Anarchy" ends.)”