Major film deal in pipeline for EL James, whose trilogy began as fan fiction online
E L James, the British author whose Fifty Shades trilogy has provoked frenzied bidding in Hollywood
She is the former west London housewife who has revolutionised the genre of erotic fiction with her bestselling trilogy of novels, Fifty Shades of Grey, whose combination of romantic storytelling and themes of bondage and domination are so steamy they have been dubbed "mommy porn".
Now EL James is set to conquer Hollywood after securing a multi-million-dollar deal to turn the first of the books into a blockbuster movie in what top producers hope will be the start of a lucrative franchise. For two days last week, James, a former TV writer, and her literary agent, Valerie Hoskins, were holed up in a wood-panelled conference room at Los Angeles's Soho House, accepting submissions for the first of the series from Hollywood's leading producers. The British pair were showered with incentives, including one studio presenting a video of its top female executives praising the trilogy.
According to reports this weekend, $5m is already on the table from Sony Pictures. Producers say they haven't seen such a stampede since the auction for Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Despite the fever, few producers are willing to talk publicly, though sources point to Sony chief Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin as probable winners.
The publishing industry has discovered a significant, self-sustaining base of women sharing "slash" fiction at online sites where they may read and talk about their desires and interests; now Hollywood is eagerly following. Fifty Shades, say agents and producers, might be only the first of many mined from this new literary seam.
James's literary output may be wildly popular – she has sold more than 250,000 copies since last year – but no one is making claims for its literary achievement, a cross between a Harlequin romance, 9½ Weeks and the controversial Mama Liz Drinks Deep series. "My inner goddess is beside herself, hopping from foot to foot," James writes in one steamy section. "Anticipation hangs heavy over my head like a dark tropical cloud."
Full story at The Observer
Now EL James is set to conquer Hollywood after securing a multi-million-dollar deal to turn the first of the books into a blockbuster movie in what top producers hope will be the start of a lucrative franchise. For two days last week, James, a former TV writer, and her literary agent, Valerie Hoskins, were holed up in a wood-panelled conference room at Los Angeles's Soho House, accepting submissions for the first of the series from Hollywood's leading producers. The British pair were showered with incentives, including one studio presenting a video of its top female executives praising the trilogy.
According to reports this weekend, $5m is already on the table from Sony Pictures. Producers say they haven't seen such a stampede since the auction for Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code. Despite the fever, few producers are willing to talk publicly, though sources point to Sony chief Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin as probable winners.
The publishing industry has discovered a significant, self-sustaining base of women sharing "slash" fiction at online sites where they may read and talk about their desires and interests; now Hollywood is eagerly following. Fifty Shades, say agents and producers, might be only the first of many mined from this new literary seam.
James's literary output may be wildly popular – she has sold more than 250,000 copies since last year – but no one is making claims for its literary achievement, a cross between a Harlequin romance, 9½ Weeks and the controversial Mama Liz Drinks Deep series. "My inner goddess is beside herself, hopping from foot to foot," James writes in one steamy section. "Anticipation hangs heavy over my head like a dark tropical cloud."
Full story at The Observer
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