Facebook film creators go a shade further

First, they pulled together an Oscar-nominated film about the invention of the "poke". Now the creative team behind The Social Network is exploring the literary realm known as "Mummy Porn."

Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti, the Hollywood producers behind David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's hit Facebook biopic, have been handed the hazardous task of bringing the erotic novel Fifty Shades of Grey to the big screen.

The duo's appointment was announced on Monday by Universal Pictures, which spent a reported $5m (£3.2m) acquiring the film rights to the book and its two sequels, during a heated auction in March.

It suggests that the studio intends to move full steam ahead with the film, cashing-in on a craze which has seen Fifty Shades sell 1,162,637 copies in its first 11 weeks, making it the fastest-selling book since records began.

"At its core, Fifty Shades is a complex love story, requiring a delicate and sophisticated hand to bring it to the big screen," said Universal.

"Mike and Dana's credits more than exemplify what we need in creative partners, and we're glad to have them as part of our team."

Among their first tasks will be appointing a screenwriter, director, and actors to play the novel's young protagonist Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, a handsome older billionaire who introduces her to sado-masochism.

That may be easier than done, since its author E L James – whose real name is Erika Leonard – is taking what in the film industry is known as a "dreaded" hands-on interest in the film adaptation.