Los Angeles - The release of the movie version of erotic best-seller 'Fifty Shades of Grey' has been postponed until 2015 after the original male star pulled out, filmmakers said on Wednesday.
Industry daily Variety said that Universal, which is making the film with Focus Features, has fixed the release for February 13, the day before Valentine's Day.
The film's Facebook page changed its cover photo to read February 2015, instead of the planned August 1, 2014 release of the movie based on the international book phenomenon.
The announcement was greeted with a flood of disappointed comments by female fans.
“What the heck??? Y y do we have to now wait 15 months??? Thats just stupid n yall gonna upset a lot of people (sic),” wrote Grace Seymour on Facebook, while Kayla Anne Mackey added: “Well this sucks.”
Variety said that Universal was considering pushing back the August 2014 date even before British actor Charlie Hunnam pulled out of the project in October.
Hunnam, who was to play Christian Grey alongside Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele, was replaced by Jamie Dornan two weeks later.
The movie is to be directed by British filmmaker and artist Sam Taylor-Johnson of 'Nowhere Boy' fame.
Spiced up with sado-masochism, the 2011 novel 'Fifty Shades of Grey' was the first part of a trilogy about a relationship between a college graduate, Steele, and young business magnate Grey.
Universal Pictures and Focus Features acquired the rights to the trilogy - which also included 'Fifty Shades Darker' and 'Fifty Shades Freed' - in March 2012.
The books have been translated into 50 languages, and sold over 70-million copies worldwide in ebook and print, making it one of the fastest-selling book series ever. - Sapa-AFP