Gus Van Sant is apparently so interested in making Fifty Shades of Grey that he shot a "test scene" starring Alex Pettyfer to prove he could handle it, according to TheWrap. Why is Van Sant so hot to do Fifty Shades? He's never really been one to chase big projects, although I would love to see him make a superhero movie. Maybe it's the allure of seeing how far he'd be able to push the sex scenes, although the movie is almost guaranteed to go for a hard R rather than the NC-17 that a faithful adaptation would be sure to get. Or maybe it's because it takes place in Van Sant's longtime home of the Pacific Northwest? Pettyfer (who fellow Shades fan Bret Easton Ellis championed on Twitter for the role of dominating mysterious billionaire Christian Grey) is 23, which makes him about four years too young for the role. Pettyfer showed off a generous amount of swagger and charisma in Magic Mike, but got out-swaggered by Channing Tatum because Tatum could actually dance, while Pettyfer just kind of thrusted arrhythmically whenever he was onstage. Always go with the guy who can dance! With his towheaded permanent sneer, Pettyfer looks like a perfect '80s movie villain; equal parts James Spader's "Stef" from Pretty in Pink and William Zabka.

Of all the things to make a movie about, Channing Tatum's former stripping career seems like a strange choice. So bless Steven Soderbergh, then, for having the chutzpah to do Magic Mike, his upcoming film based on Tatum’s early work as a dancer in a Chippendales-esque Florida nightclub show called Male Encounter. Joining Tatum himself (who'll play the film's title role) will be stripping novices Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello, Alex Pettyfer, and Matt Bomer. Sure, these guys look the part — but can they dance? Can they entertain? Could they hack it as Chippendales dancers? For answers, we presented photos and YouTube evidence of the cast's dancing abilities to Chippendales general manager Kristen Makhatini and dancer Jaymes Vaughan. Here's what they told us.