In news that will ignite shockwaves in the world of Fifty Shades of Grey, it appears as though Sons of Anarchy's Charlie Hunnam has stepped down from his role as Christian Grey in E.L. James' movie adaptation.

According to Entertainment Weekly, both the film's top brass and the 33-year-old actor have come to an agreement "to find another male lead given Hunnam's immersive TV schedule which is not allowing him to adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey."

James took to Twitter to give the following response to Hunnam's recent decision:

"I wish Charlie all the best. x

The author also tweeted another message 17 minutes prior, but it's uncertain as to whether it was related to the actor's change of heart for the part.

"Okay girls and boys - hold on to your hats - it's about to get serious..."

With Hunnam now out of the picture, it will surely be interesting to see who his replacement will be. White Collar's Matt Bomer was seemingly considered the frontrunner with Vampire Diaries Ian Somerhalder not too far behind him.

The Fifty Shades of Grey movie is scheduled to come out on Aug. 1, 2014. Be sure to keep checking back for more of the latest details on the casting process. 

Tags: 50 shades of grey Fifty Shades Of Grey Matt Bomer charlie hunnam