http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ari-emanuel-fifty-shades-grey-el-james-obama-305365
How hot was Hollywood’s courtship of Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James last week? The battle to secure film rights to the steamy romance novels was competitive enough that top WME agent Ari Emanuel took a meeting with James and her agent, Valerie Hoskins, even though he was expecting a call from the president of the United States.
Protocol is that when told to anticipate a call from the leader of the free world, one remains at one’s desk. But Emanuel took the meeting at L.A.’s Soho House with manager-producer Stephen Levinson, representing Mark Wahlberg. They were among the Hollywood legions pursuing the literary sensation about an ingenue’s graphic sexual adventures with a jaded billionaire. Sony Pictures, Fox 2000 and Warner Bros. all submitted proposals, with Universal emerging triumphant in the bidding on Monday with an offer of $5 million.