Jamie Dornan Calls ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Ian Somerhalder Recasting Rumors An ‘Expensive Mistake’

Jamie Dornan is clearing up “Fifty Shades” movie rumors. During his appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Thursday night, the film star addressed speculation that actor Ian Somerhalder was replacing him as Christian Grey in the romance franchise.

“No, I don’t know anything about that,” Dornan told host Jimmy Kimmel when asked about the re-casting talk. Dornan went on to share he’s already shot the remaining two sequels in the trilogy with co-star Dakota Johnson before calling bringing on Somerhalder an “expensive mistake.”

“That would be really hard for them to do considering we’ve shot both movies. That’s an expensive mistake, put it that way, but good luck to him,” Dornan quipped. “He’ll be great.”

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While it isn’t clear where the new Ian Somerhalder rumors originate from, the “Vampire Diaries” actor was a fan favorite to play Dornan’s role in the films during the casting process in 2013, especially after voicing his desire for the coveted part.

“It could be anyone, that’s how that goes,” Somerhalder told Metro in June 2013. “One can never get bored of people asking about a huge project, every guy in Hollywood is up for this role.”

When the role of Christian Grey ultimately went to actor Charlie Hunnam (Dornan later took over as the lead) Somerhalder reacted to the snub, telling E! News in September 2013 he was just thankful for the support of his fans. “The fan base is just incredible and they’re wonderful. They’re incredible about it and they’re very supportive. Love ‘em,” he said.

And despite rumors he was “livid” about not getting the role, Somerhalder told Huffington Post that same month that he would likely not have been able to make the movies anyway. “I’m on a TV show that shoots 10 months a year,” he said, speaking of his long-running CW series.

The two final installments in the “Fifty Shades of Grey” franchise, “Fifty Shades Darker” and “Fifty Shades Freed,” completed filming in July. (Check out set photos from the final scenes here!) The movies are set for February 2017 and February 2018 releases.