Bret Easton Ellis Not Adapting 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' For The Screen

According to Vulture, author/screenwriter Bret Easton Ellis will not be tackling the adaptation of "Fifty Shades Of Grey" for Universal Pictures. The author, best-known for his controversial 1991 novel "American Psycho" has been lobbying hard for the adapting gig, while his most recent film "The Canyons" shoots with Lindsay Lohan in the lead.

Ellis wrote (via Twitter), "It's a very major disappointed to announce that I've somehow been taken off the list of possible screenwriters for Fifty Shades of Grey," adding "I hope you find someone as passionate as I was about 'Fifty Shades of Grey.' I will miss it. Moving on. Laters, baby..."

Bret Easton Ellis is known for his darker subject matter and interconnected literary universe. His characters often bridge the gaps between his many stories, and his passion for the darker aspects of human nature are well-established in works like "Less Than Zero" and "American Psycho." His most recent novel, "Imperial Bedrooms" (the follow-up to "Less Than Zero") was released to critical acclaim, and there have been rumblings of a film adaptation since its release in 2010.

"The Canyons" tells a story of sexual obsession and the ambitions of a group of individuals in Los Angeles. A modern noir take on the lifestyles of upper-crust Angelinos, the film is certainly something Ellis is familiar with, having grown up in Los Angeles. Whether the sexually-charged "Fifty Shades Of Grey" film finds a screenwriter soon is anyone's guess, but if Ellis is Tweeting that he's off the project, then that means the film is close to landing its surely lucky scribe.