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Garrett Hedlund Rejected Lead Role in Fifty Shades of Grey, Ian Somerhalder Not a Contender

Garrett Hedlund, pictured here, turned down Fifty Shades of Grey role.
A source tells Us Weekly that Garrett Hedlund rejected the lead role of Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey, and tells Us that Ian Somerhalder isn't a contender for the part.

Garrett Hedlund doesn't want to be chained to the role of Christian Grey. A source tells Us Weekly the On the Road actor, 28, passed on playing the S&M-obsessed lead in the film version of E.L. James' erotic novel, Fifty Shades of Grey.

"Doing a possible trilogy was too big a commitment, and producers wouldn't let him do just one film," says the source of Kirsten Dunst's boyfriend.

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Ian Somerhalder, 34, seems out too. Though the star campaigned for the role, he's not a contender as far as James is concerned. During an interview with Ryan Seacrest on KISS-FM in April, The Vampire Diaries actor, 34, said he would "absolutely" be up for playing the role of Grey. "It could be very, very amazing," Somerhalder said. "I have the book and I just started reading it. That would be a pretty incredible thing, and hopefully that could pan out . . . Beyond the shadow of a doubt, I think that would be a phenomenal opportunity!"

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Unfortunately, that opportunity may not be his for the taking. A source tells Us, "E.L. was at a Comic-Con party July 20 telling people the part won't go to Ian."

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The only known casting decision for the Fifty Shades of Grey movie, so far, has been the director. James revealed on Twitter in June that Sam Taylor-Johnson has been hired to direct the film. "I saw both of her films, and I was blown away. Simple," the author recently told Vulture of the Nowhere Boy director. "She's creative, incredibly talented, she's got an extraordinary eye. She had a good idea about the whole Fifty experience, she understands it. And I thought, There's a woman I can go and get drunk with."

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