'Fifty Shades of Grey' movie has release date

Go ahead and mark your calendar: Fifty Shades of Grey has received a release date of August 1, 2014, EW has confirmed.

This follows the news that Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy) will direct the film, which has not yet cast the lead roles of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. The script, based on E L James' novel, will be written by Kelly Marcel. Focus and Universal paid $5 million in March 2012 for movie rights to the best-selling trilogy.

Other Fifty Shades news? Hollywood Reporter writes that the steamy film might be a good candidate for a premium VOD option concurrent with its theatrical release. This obviously makes sense giving the explicit subject matter. A rep for Universal did not immediately have a comment regarding that rumor.

Related Content:

• 'Fifty Shades of Grey' finds its director: Sam Taylor-Johnson
• 'Fifty Shades of Grey': Armie Hammer responds to casting rumors