Sorry, Hollywood. Fifty Shades of Grey fans know better. The ongoing controversy surrounding the casting of Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson for the film adaptation have reached new heights, with the online petition for Matt Bomer and Alexis Bledel nearly doubling to more than 40,000 votes at press time in less than 24 hours.
The petition, which demands that Bomer, 35, and Bledel, 31, take on the roles of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, respectively, was created on Change.org shortly after book author E.L. James revealed the casting decision on Monday, Sept. 2.
"Matt Bomer is the perfect description of Christian Grey and Alexis Bledel is the perfect actress to represent Anastasia Steele and if they are not, nobody will be," a message at the top of the petition reads. "We can do anything guys, anything."
As of Thursday, Sept. 5, the petition had already reached 48,384 supporters.
The petition's creator then continued to post messages on the sounding board further down the page: "Many people say that we are doing this to criticize and make fun of Dakota Johnson and Charlie Hunnam … it's not true, we are doing this because we want and deserve to be heard."
"It's 2013, it's a new era, the readers are as important as the director or producer," a recent message continued. "We are the critical. We deserve respect."
And the fans' outrage hasn't fallen completely on deaf ears. In a recent interview with ETonline, Bomer admitted that while he is "so grateful for the fans and touched," he is "looking forward to seeing the movie with Charlie and Dakota."
On Monday, producer Dana Brunetti took to Twitter to address devastated Fifty Shades readers. "There is a lot that goes into casting that isn't just looks," he wrote. "Talent, availability, their desire to do it, chemistry with other actor, etc. So if your favorite wasn't cast, then it is most likely due to something on that list."
"Keep that in mind while hating and keep perspective," he added.
