BIRMINGHAM, U.K. — News broke yesterday that Sam Taylor-Johnson will direct the cinematic adaptation of E.L. James’ erotic novel “Fifty Shades of Grey,” projected to release in 2014; the hype continues to boost BDSM novelty sales by leaps and bounds.
Taylor-Johnson was selected for the highly sought-after position despite having previously produced only one feature-length title "Nowhere Boy" about John Lennon's youth.
LoveHoney, a U.K.-based novelty company that debuted the official Fifty Shades toy collection, celebrated the announcement by surveying customers about their opinion of the film.
The survey revealed that 90 percent of respondents do not want the book’s sex scenes to be toned down for the silver screen. Fans also voted for their ideal Christian and Anastasia and chose Ian Somerhalder and ex-Gilmore Girl Alexis Bledel, respectively.
The LoveHoney team believes that sales of their James-approved products will only increase as the mainstream film continues to trend worldwide.
“The huge interest around this announcement shows that ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ is still the biggest name in the business," LoveHoney Commercial Director Ray Hayes said. "The recently launched Fifty Shades of Grey Sensual Care Collection and the original Fifty Shades of Grey Pleasure Collection give retailers the ideal opportunity to convert this interest into sales."
The company will be displaying their official Fifty Shades product range at the upcoming ETO trade show in Birmingham.
“I’m so excited that the toys I described in the books have come to life and can now be enjoyed around the world,” James said about LoveHoney’s collection.
The Fifty Shades collection features sleek products done in grayscale, with shiny metal and black matte silicone accents.Several toys are adorned with written references to the novel.
One vibrator bears the inscription “Charlie Tango” in black script, an homage to the helicopter that Christian uses to literally sweep Anastasia off her feet.
Other novelty companies have reported an elevated demand for products given cameos in the book. Good Vibrations reported that its sales for kegel balls have increased by 1,800 percent since the novel debuted and featured the once-relatively-obscure item.
