The Fifty Shades of Grey casting rumors continue to heat up as it appears both Garrett Hedlund and Ian Somerhalder are reportedly out of the running. One household name that may qualify to play the role of the S&M-crazed billionaire is Michael Fassbender.

The Irish-German actor is mostly known for playing Magneto in X-Men: First Class, and starred in Ridley Scott's Prometheus, amongst other things. However, it was his highly provocative role in Shame that makes him a strong potential Grey.

According to a 2012 excerpt from Policy Mic, Fassbender "would be perfect in the role of Christian Grey. Though he doesn't have 'pretty boy' looks like [Ryan] Gosling does, Fassbender has proved himself with edgier and more intense roles - such as Shame, where the actor performed several frontal nude and sexually explicit scenes."

Ian Somerhalder displaying displeasure over alleged Christian Grey snub?

Fifty Shades screenwriter Kelly Marcel, who's currently in the process of refining the script, said that she would be sticking to the content of James' books with lots of sex and raunchiness. Only time will truly tell who ultimately will become the next Grey.

The highly anticipated flick is scheduled to launch on the big screen on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2014. Be sure to check back for more of the latest info on the racy film.