Matt Bomer as Christian Grey?
Matt Bomer Reuters

Many “Fifty Shades of Grey” fans were shocked to find out Charlie Hunnam is not going to be Christian Grey in the film adaptation of E.L. James’ best-selling novel. But, on the bright side, it also means that fans can once again speculate over who will play the coveted role.

From the moment it was announced the erotic novel was going to be turned into a movie, and possibly even before, fans already had a few different handsome actors in mind as to who could portray the kinky Seattle billionaire -- and Hunnam was almost never one of them.

A backlash ensued shortly after Hunnam was announced as the lead on Sept. 2, but Hunnam appeared to be up to tackle the challenge, and he even went so far as to say that he and co-star Dakota Johnson had great chemistry together.

Alas, Hunnam dropped out because his television schedule didn’t allow him to “adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey,” Universal Pictures said. However, Matthew Belloni, executive editor at the Hollywood Reporter, said television didn’t have anything to do with Hunnam leaving the movie. In fact, Belloni took to Twitter to report that two different sources said the actor got “cold feet”:

So here’s the major problem: the “Fifty Shades” movie is supposed to start filming in early November, which means it probably won’t be too long until the actor who will play Christian is announced.

According to Metro News, Bomer is a 6-to-1 fan favorite to play the alluring billionaire with a penchant for BDSM. If Bomer turns down the role -- or if producers and James don’t want him in the film -- Cillian Murphy is next in line to play Christian Grey with 7-to-1 odds among fans. Ian Somerhalder comes in third at 8-to-1, while “True Blood’s” Alexander Skarsgard and “Gossip Girl’s” Chace Crawford are in fourth at 10-to-1.

Dakota Johnson