Actor Charlie Hunnam will NOT be the leading man in Fifteen Shdes of Grey, Universal Pictures announced Saturday. 

According to USA Today, the studio released a statement and said, "The filmmakers of Fifty Shades of Grey and Charlie Hunnam have agreed 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."

Many speculate that Hunnam's role in Sons of Anarchy is what's taking up all of his time.Hunnam signed on to play Grey last month opposite Dakota Johnson who will portray Anastasia Steele in E.L. James' sultry and seductive novel-turned-movie.Even though Universal Pictures said Hunnam was too busy, he just told Entertainment Weekly on Wednesday that he was "taking [the] Christian Grey role very seriously" in an interview.

"There are so many fans of that book and I know that on the surface I'm probably not what everybody imagined. Because reading is so personal and people bring a character to life in their imagination, they feel ownership over that character. That's daunting if I allowed myself to think about it too much."

James has also spoken out about the news and tweeted, "I wish Charlie all the best."

While James is cutting ties with Hunnam on good terms, many fans might be glad to hear the news considering the casting decisions lead to lots of protests and even a petition to change who played the lead roles. It's not clear who will replace Hunnam as the role of Christian Grey but Matt Bomer and Ian Somerhalder are two high contenders.

According to TMZ, filming is scheduled to start later this month. The movie is set to hit theaters on August 1, 2014.

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