'Fifty Shades of Grey' Movie Will be NC-17, has 'A Lot of Sex' Says Screenwriter

While devotees of E.L. James' hit erotica trilogy "Fifty Shades of Grey" were sent all aquiver with news of the series' impending movie adaptation, many had worried the film would lose much of what made the novels so memorable in a quest for broader appeal. Specifically: lots, and lots of explicit sex. Well, consider those anxieties as tamed as your ball-gagged slaveboy. The "Fifty Shades" movie will likely be rated NC-17, according to screenwriter Kelly Marcel.

Speaking about her writing process for the screenplay in a recent interview, Marcel let some interesting tidbits about the new film slip, including what many fans were no doubt foaming at the mouth to hear: The script contains "a lot of sex," she told The Telegraph. And while her understanding of the source material is that she's adapting an "old-fashioned love story," she conceded that her film would push sexual boundaries just like the books. "It will be NC-17. It will be raunchy. We are 100 percent going there," she said.

While Marcel's comments are likely to re-stoke fans' anticipatory fire for the upcoming "Fifty Shades" movie, they're also noteworthy, because, as Yahoo News notes, the NC-17 rating is typically a commercial death sentence.

The last two "big" films to receive NC-17 ratings - 2011's "Shame" and 2007's "Lust, Caution" - only brought in about $4 million, paltry returns by Hollywood standards. And the highest grossing NC-17 film ever, 1995 cult-classic "Showgirls" only made slightly more than $20 million. Taking into account the wild, ubiquitous popularity of the "Fifty Shades" books though - they've sold over 30 million copies in the U.S. alone in one year - a movie version would almost certainly do well, no matter the rating. The "Fifty Shades" film actually receiving the NC-17 rating could even help diminish the stigma associated with the rating and broaden the movie's appeal.

Marcel's views about the Nc-17 rating were apparently news to production company Universal. A spokesperson for the studio said, "A screenplay has not yet been written, a rating has not been designated, and we have no further comment."

Similarly, Producer Dana Brunetti told The Hollywood Reporter, "The script isn't even written yet, so how could we know how [the MPAA's Classification and] Ratings Board will rate it?"

So, just what can we expect from a screenplay written by Marcel?

"Kelly's work demonstrates her flawless structural technique and passionate commitment to emotion, humor and depth of character which is particularly visible in the celebrated screenplay for the upcoming 'Saving Mr. Banks,'" one of the film's producers, Michael De Luca ("The Social Network), said of her in a statement.

"We were all taken with the depth and passion of Kelley's engagement with the characters and world E L James has created and we knew she was the right person to augment our 'Fifty Shades' family," said co-producer Dana Brunetti.

The British-born Marcel is known for writing the script for "Saving Mr. Banks," a movie about Walt Disney's quest to turn the P.L. Travers book "Mary Poppins" into a movie. Walt Disney Studios is currently making the film.

Marcel is also co-artistic director of "The Bad Dog Theater Company," which she founded in 2010 alongside actor Tom Hardy and fellow writer Brett C. Leonard, and re-wrote the script for Hardy's shocking, visceral prison film "Bronson," which, frankly, we adored.

Since being published last year, "Fifty Shades" has become notorious for its explicit sexual content and controversial portrayal of a relationship involving BDSM. The novel has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, and is the UK's fastest-selling book of all time. All three books from James' trilogy have remained in the top five of The New Yorks Times' bestsellers list for over three months.

Kellen Lutz, Ian Somerhalder, Ryan Gosling, Christian Bale, Matt Bomer, Justin Beiber, and Max Greenfield are among many actors' names that have already been mentioned in casting the leading role of Christian Grey, a troubled businessman who seduces an innocent college graduate called Anastasia Steele. Other than confirming Marcel as the screenwriter, author James has been tightlipped about the entire movie adaptation process. No director has been announced yet.