Screenwriter Wants NC-17 Rating For '50 Shades of Grey' Movie: 'It Will Be Raunchy'

Fifty Shades of Grey screenwriter Kelly Marcel reveals that her screenplay adaptation of the infamous novel will be seeking an NC-17 rating.

“We are 100 percent going there,” Marcel told The Sunday Times. “It will be rated NC-17. It will be raunchy.” Such a declaration is hardly surprising considering the kinkiness in the E.L. James bestseller.

Yet, a spokesperson for Universal sought to distance the studio from Marcel’s statements. “A screenplay has not yet been written, a rating has not been designated, and we have no further comment,” said the rep to The Hollywood Reporter.

While the graphic sexual nature of the books could certainly translate to an NC-17 rated movie, that might not be in the best interest of the studio. Typically, movies with that rating tend to fair poorly in theaters. Crash (1996) and Showgirls (1995) are listed as prime examples of the trend by Business Insider.

Most Fifty Shades fans are more eager to know who will be cast as the leads, Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, than the film's impending rating. But that too, is information that has yet to be confirmed — though Kristen Ritter and Ian Somerhalder (pictured) have been touted for the leads.