Turns out Gus Van Sant really wants to direct '50 Shades of Grey' -- so bad, in fact, that he recruited Alex Pettyfer ('Magic Mike') to shoot a sex scene with a number of actress to present to the studio and author E.L. James. Did it work?

The Wrap reports that Gus Van Sant shot Alex Pettyfer in a sex scene in a bid to get Focus Features to hire him to direct '50 Shades of Grey' (and presumably Pettyfer to star). Van Sant was not asked by the studio to shoot the test reel, which speaks to Van Sant's burning desire to direct this ill-advised adaptation. The scene Van Sant shot was the pivotal moment when lead character Anastasia loses her virginity to fancy pants rich jerk Christian Grey.

Just because Pettyfer starred in the test footage doesn't mean he's been cast in the role -- similarly, Van Sant submitting his test reel is no indication that he's the guy for the job. A number of actresses shot the scene with Pettyfer though it's unclear which names joined the test shoot.

'50 Shades of Grey' is based on the bestselling (seriously?...) trilogy of novels following a young woman named Anastasia Steele who falls for a rich tycoon named Christian Grey, who makes her sign a BDSM contract strictly outlining their sexual relationship. And then she cries and whines until he loves her.

The books originally began life as 'Twilight' fan fiction, written by a British woman named E.L. James. You can read about why these books are horrible in our '50 Shades of Grey' guide.

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