Fifty Shades Of Grey Movie Stars Unveiled

Little-known US actress Dakota Johnson will star opposite Briton Charlie Hunnam in the film adaptation of EL James' erotic blockbuster novel Fifty Shades Of Grey.

Johnson, the daughter of actors Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, previously had small roles in The Social Network and 21 Jump Street.

But the 23-year-old is now set to become a household name in her own right.

Hunnam, 33, was last seen in summer blockbuster Pacific Rim, but is probably best known for his TV roles as Jax Teller in US series Sons Of Anarchy and gay teenager Nathan Maloney in the Channel 4 drama Queer As Folk.

Fifty Shades Of Grey, which was published in 2011, caused an immediate scandal with its depiction of a sado-masochistic romance between lead character Anastasia and her lover Christian Grey.

Together with its two sequel novels, the trilogy is believed to have earned author James some £61.5m ($98m) in 2012.

Tweeting the announcement of the lead roles, James described Johnson as "lovely" and Hunnam as "gorgeous and talented".

Sam Taylor-Wood will direct the film, which is slated to be released in August 2014.

Speculation as to who would play the lead roles has been rife for months, with actors such as Emma Watson, Mila Kunis, Elizabeth Olson, Robert Pattinson and Michael Fassbender all linked to the project at various points.

Taylor-Wood's husband, Kick-Ass star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, had previously ruled himself out of playing Grey, saying he was too young.