Twitter Explodes Over Charlie Hunnam’s ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ Exit

Was "Fifty Shades of Grey" too hot for Charlie Hunnam?

The "Sons of Anarchy" star bid adieu to the sexy title role of Christian Grey in the film adaption of the sex-tangled bestselling book by author E.L. James, and fans and critics aren't buying the studio's reason for his controversial exit.

“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 time to adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey,” Universal Pictures announced on October 12.

The 33-year-old actor started shooting the season 6 finale of his hit FX show on October 11, one day before Universal Pictures released their statement, but "50" fans claim the hunky star likely left the blindfolds behind after he received major backlash over the casting.

And feverish fans are already sounding off on who should fill Hunnam's shoes, voting for many original favorites for the role.

Even author E.L. James chimed in with her own reaction on Twitter.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources close to the flick say the star was "overwhelmed with the attention he received from being cast in the movie and got cold feet about carrying such a high-profile project." The theory is certainly a possibility since Hunnam hasn't been shy about his nerves regarding the project.

He told Entertainment Weekly in this week's cover story, "There are so many fans of that book and I know that on the surface, I’m probably not what everybody imagined," the actor admitted. "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. I’m taking it very seriously and intend to explore the nature of who this character is, what motivates him — and also dress up nice and look good in those suits."

Hunnam was right not to underestimate the power of fans. Following his casting announcement in September, more than 87,000 fans started a petition on change.org, many of whom are now virtually patting themselves on the back for potentially influencing his departure, and urged producers to reconsider their decision.

The film's producers and James stood by their man – despite the fact that he only had one major movie credit to his name with this summer's "Pacific Rim" – and tweeted their support for Hunnam at the time.

Whether or not it was a case of cold feet or simply a career decision, one question remains: Who should play Christian Grey?