He has revealed he was in talks with author E.L. James about turning her best-selling erotic novel into a movie

Mark Wahlberg has revealed he was in talks with author E.L. James for the rights to Fifty Shades of Grey before she sold them to movie studio Universal.

The talented actor – whose producing credits include hit HBO show Entourage – has revealed he was in talks with author E.L. James about turning her best-selling erotic novel into a movie long before she sold the rights to Universal Pictures and Focus Features.

He said: “What happened was we had heard about the book really early on and we were in negotiations with the writer and then for some strange reason she thought it was important to have an agent – which she should have, obviously – because she started to realise what she was on to.

“Then, of course, it created a bidding war and everything else and we lost out on an opportunity. Sometimes you get ’em, sometimes you don’t. It’s just one of those things.”

The Transformers: Age of Extinction star insists, however, that he had no plans to take a starring role in the steamy adaptation – which follows the sexual adventures of bondage-loving millionaire Christian Grey and his virginal paramour Anastasia Steele – if he had won the movie rights.

He told Access Hollywood: “Not that I would’ve wanted to be in it. An old man like me? They were outraged about the other guy [Charlie Hunnam] playing the part, what would happen with me?”

Fifty Shades of Grey will star Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan.

The film is set for release on Valentine’s Day 2015