E.L. James, the author of "50 Shades of Grey," is opening up about why she went with Universal Pictures and Focus Features to adapt her trilogy of best-sellers to the big screen.
Also read: "50 Shades of Grey" Trilogy Rights Go to Universal
And while the $5 million she reportedly received for the deal certainly didn't hurt, James tells EW.com that she did it for the laughs — specifically, those elicited by Focus president of production Jeb Brody.
“I really like clever men who challenge you,” James told the website, “and with Jeb, I thought, yeah, I can work with that!”
Also read: Why Hollywood Is Hot for "50 Shades of Grey"
Plus, James added, Focus Features — responsible for such releases as "Lost in Translation" and "The Pianist" — has "a great background in handling difficult material.”
The book, which made the New York Times best-seller list, revolves around a female college student who finds herself in a kinky relationship involving sadomasochism and submission with 27-year-old billionaire Christian Grey. The book's two sequels, "Fifty Shades Darker" and "50 Shades Freed," probe into the couple's deepening relationship.
James' steamy novels — published by Vintage Books — recently sparked a feeding frenzy in Hollywood, with producers Brian Grazer, Adam Shankman, Scott Stuber, Doug and Lucy Wick and Stacy Cramer courting James and her agent, Valerie Hoskins.
A few laughs and a good reputation aren't the only things that convinced James to ink a deal with Universal and Focus: The authoress also told EW.com that she was granted the approvals she requested, which included script and casting approvals.
“This makes me sound like a control freak, doesn’t it?” James asked EW.com.
Perhaps not as much as her protagonist, but yeah, maybe a little