'Atonement' director Joe Wright the frontrunner to helm 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

The most sought after gig in Hollywood right now may be that of Fifty Shades of Grey, the adaptation of EL James' erotic novel that has had ladies all hot 'n bothered since it first hit digital download. Hey, nobody buys actual books anymore. While most of the attention has been on the casting front, with some erroneously claiming that Alex Pettyfer and Emma Watson had won the two main roles, there's still a director that needs to be found, and one major names has popped up as a contender.

Atonement and Anna Karenina director Joe Wright has emerged as the frontrunner according to THR. It may seem like an odd choice because he's normally associated with historical romances, but Wright has shown his diversity with the contemporary assassin film Hanna. The less said about The Soloist the better. Other names on the list are Bennett Miller (Capote), and Patty Jenkins (Monster), suggesting that the studios are looking for refined filmmakers rather than someone who can just crank out something quickly. If anything, it's a sign that Universal and Focus Features are taking the adaptation seriously, even if 'Grey' has become something of a national punchline at this point.

So we'll see what happens, but with this news it's probably just a matter of time before a decision is made on who will play Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele.