Although Fifty Shades of Grey had its fair share of critics, it was a box-office success at the end of its run. Based on the popular novel of the same name, the trilogy pulled in over a billion dollars worldwide. It also helped boost the careers of actors Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson. Mark Wahlberg might have seen the potential of the franchise early on, however, as he once tried to be a part of Fifty Shades.
But when he lost his chance to secure the rights to the franchise, Wahlberg almost fired his agent.
Mark Wahlberg became a producer because he was never the first actor to get the script
Wahlberg may be one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, but that didn’t mean he always got first dibs on scripts. This played a part in the Transformers star wanting to become a film producer.
“The only reason why I wanted to was because I was never going to get the script first. I had to wait for Brad Pitt to pass; I had to wait for this one to pass,” Wahlberg said according to The Hollywood Reporter. “So I had to go out there and create my own thing, find material, develop it for myself and have creative control.”
After trying out producing, Wahlberg admitted that he enjoyed the process enough to stick with it.
“So that was it for me, and then I just loved it, and it was addictive to me,” he added.
Mark Wahlberg really wanted to produce ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’
Wahlberg noticed the potential the franchise had, and fought to be a big part of it. So much so he was already in discussions with the writer far before the film was being made.
“We were very close to getting the rights, we were talking with the writer before she had an agent,” he once told Access. “I just knew that it was going to be a phenomenon, whether I thought it was good, bad or indifferent. It was definitely going to be one of those things that would create a huge buzz.”
In the same interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Uncharted actor went into a bit more detail about the situation. He claimed that he’d gotten so upset at not being able to secure Fifty Shades, it nearly cost him his agent.
“I almost fired my agent Ari [Emanuel] over [Fifty Shades] — not because I wanted to play the part. We were aware of the book very early on, and we were close to securing the rights, and then we get into this bidding war. We were so close to having [it]. That was one of the few times I was going to fire Ari,” he said.
Angelina Jolie was rumored to direct ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’
Mark Wahlberg wasn’t the only actor who was linked to Fifty Shades behind the scenes. At one point, there were rumors circulating that Angelina Jolie was also looked at as a possible director for the film. Jolie was even once personally asked about the legitimacy behind the rumors. However, she didn’t confirm or deny the speculations at the time.
“I came very clear out of the gate: after Blood And Honey, if I ever directed again, it would have to be a certain kind of film,” she told Entertainment Weekly (via Marie Claire). “You know, I’m looking forward to seeing what Sam [Taylor-Johnson] does with Fifty Shades and she’s amazing.”
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