‘Fifty Shades Darker' Movie Release Date, Cast & News Update: Henry Cavill Not Playing Jack Hyde Role - 3 Actors Who May Replace Him

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Jul 27, 2015 06:00 AM EDT

Color us disappointed, as the "Man of Steel" himself won't be joining the cast of 50 Shades Darker. The much-anticipated sequel to this year's cultural phenomenon, 50 Shades of Grey, is set to be released in Feb. 2017, featuring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson reprising their roles as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. The film, however, will not be featuring another Hollywood stunner (and apparently prankster!) Henry Cavill, who rose to international fame with his portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman in 2013's "Man of Steel."

The 32-year old British actor, who is currently promoting his new film, "The Man from U.N.C.L.E.," told USA TODAY, "I’m not in ‘Fifty Shades of Grey.’ I’m for real. I’m just messing with everyone."

Cavill explained, “The first time around, everyone was asking, ‘Are you Christian Grey?’ I went ‘No!’ But no one cared and everyone kept talking about it. This time around, everyone is now still convinced I’m part of the series. Now the question is, ‘Are you going to be in ‘Fifty Shades Darker.' And I thought, I’m going to try a different tact this time. See what they say. And so I tried a different tact.”

It seemed to have worked, as he got a lot of fans' hopes up for him to play the role of Jack Hyde, the primary antagonist in Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.

Now that this news is out of the way, the question still remains: Who will play Jack Hyde? We weigh in on some viable options here.

  • Mark Salling. We all know him as the sexy, bad-boy high schooler in the hit TV series Glee, but we have yet to see him take on bigger, more groundbreaking film and television roles. With Glee well behind him, we're excited to see where the 32-year old will take his acting career to next, and we bet that playing Jack Hyde will showcase more of his acting chops.
  • Cam Gigandet. Whoever can resist those smoldering baby blues of Cam Gigandet? Gigandet's appeal combines the charm of a puppy and the subtle smoothness of a demi-god, which is perfect for the cunning Jack Hyde. Buff him up for a couple of months and we're sure that viewers will forget he ever played the vampire James in Twilight.
  • Taylor Kinney. If we are to pit someone against the alluring sex appeal of Jamie Dornan, it's Mr. Lady Gaga to be, Taylor Kinney. Best known for his roles in the TV series Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D., Kinney also appeared in Kathryn Bigelow's acclaimed war drama "Zero Dark Thirty," which proved that he also got what it takes to be on the big screen. Playing Jack Hyde will definitely up the ante and propel him into international superstardom, which we believe is definitely something in the books for this model turned actor.

The Guardian previously reported that 50 Shade of Grey screenwriter Kelly Marcel won't have any part in the succeeding films due to creative differences, and that E.L. James' husband, Niall Leonard will be take over scriptwriting for Darker. They're also in the process of finding a new director, as Sam Taylor-Johnson also confirmed her non-participation in the succeeding films, as per Variety's report.

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