Relative Unknown Chosen to Direct ‘Fifty Shades’

It was coveted by a range of big-time filmmakers, but a woman from the cinematic minor leagues won the job: Sam Taylor-Johnson will direct the film adaptation of the best-selling erotic novel “Fifty Shades of Grey,” Universal Pictures and its arthouse division, Focus Features, announced on Wednesday.

The selection of Ms. Taylor-Johnson, 46, to handle the project was surprising because her résumé is slim; her only previous feature-length directing effort was in 2009, with “Nowhere Boy,” which took in $6.6 million at the box office.

But “Nowhere Boy,” a look at John Lennon’s adolescence, won strong reviews. One of her short films, “Love You More,” was also critically acclaimed.

“Sam’s unique ability to gracefully showcase complex relationships dealing with love, emotion and sexual chemistry make her the ideal director,” Michael De Luca, a producer of “Fifty Shades of Grey,” said in a statement.

Written by E L James, the book version of “Fifty Shades of Grey” became a publishing sensation because of its depiction of kinky sex, selling roughly 70 million copies in print and e-book formats worldwide. The novel follows the dominant-submissive relationship between a Seattle billionaire, Christian Grey, and Anastasia Steele, a college student.

“For the legions of fans, I want to say that I will honor the power of Erika’s book and the characters of Christian and Anastasia,” Ms. Taylor-Johnson said in a statement. “They are under my skin, too.”

Ms. Taylor-Johnson, who is British and is married to the actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson (“Nowhere Boy,” the “Kick-Ass” series), and Universal will now turn to casting the lead roles.

Michael Hastings, Award-Winning Journalist, Dies at 33

Michael Hastings, the award-winning freelance reporter who died on Tuesday at 33, was known for an intrepid, gonzo-style journalism that took him to war zones in Afghanistan and Iraq and, most famously, brought down a United States Army general.

Michael Hastings.

His death, in a car crash in Los Angeles at about 4:30 a.m., was confirmed by his wife, Elise Jordan. Mr. Hastings was believed to have been the sole occupant of the car, which struck a tree at high speed, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office. He lived in New York City.

In a posting commemorating Mr. Hastings, the news Web site BuzzFeed, to which he contributed, wrote:

“Michael Hastings was really only interested in writing stories someone didn’t want him to write â€" often his subjects; occasionally his editor. While there is no template for a great reporter, he was one for reasons that were intrinsic to who he was: ambitious, skeptical of power and conventional wisdom, and incredibly brave.”

In 2010, Mr. Hastings won a George Polk Award, presented annually by Long Island University for reporting in the public interest.

The award honored his Rolling Stone magazine cover story, “The Runaway General,” published that June. In it, Mr. Hastings profiled Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, then the top commander of United States forces in Afghanistan.

The article quoted the general and members of his staff making disparaging comments about members of the Obama administration, including Vice President Joseph R. Biden, with respect to their handling of the Afghan campaign.

Within days of its publication, President Obama met briefly with General McChrystal in the Oval Office before firing him, ending his 34-year military career.

An inquiry into Mr. Hastings’s article by the Defense Department inspector general the next year found “insufficient” evidence of wrongdoing by the general, his military aides and civilian advisers.

The inspector general’s report also questioned the accuracy of some aspects of the article, which was repeatedly defended by Mr. Hastings and Rolling Stone’s editors.

Mr. Hastings was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone at his death and had also written for GQ and Newsweek magazines.

Michael Mahon Hastings was born on Jan. 28, 1980, in Malone, N.Y. After attending Connecticut College, he earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from New York University.

As a 25-year-old correspondent for Newsweek, Mr. Hastings covered the Iraq war. His fiancée, Andrea Parhamovich, followed him there, taking a job with a nongovernmental organization. She was killed in 2007 when her car was ambushed by Sunni insurgents.

Mr. Hastings’s memoir of the experience, “I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern War Story,” was published in 2008.

Besides his wife, Mr. Hastings is survived by his parents, Brent and Molly Hastings; two brothers, Jeff and Jon; and his grandmother, Ruth Mahon Hastings.

His second book, “The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan,” was published last year.

Daniel E. Slotnik contributed reporting.

Quinn’s Memoir Goes Largely Unsold, When It Can Be Found

New Yorkers aren’t buying Christine C. Quinn’s story - at bookstores, anyway.

Christine C. Quinn's memoir was being sold at a 40 percent discount on a sidewalk bookseller's table before its official release.

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Self-Publishing Star Amanda Hocking Sells Next Series to St. Martin’s

Amanda Hocking, the author of popular young adult series.

Amanda Hocking, who sold more than one million copies of her self-published novels before turning to a traditional publisher, has sold another series to St. Martin’s Press.

“I’ve enjoyed my work self-publishing, and I will never rule out the possibility of self-publishing something again in the future,” Ms. Hocking said in a statement, “but right now, I’d rather focus on my writing instead of stressing about formatting and pricing and book covers and finding editors.”

The new series, “Kanin Chronicles,” is a paranormal trilogy for young adults, the publisher said. The first book in the series is expected to be released in summer 2014.

St. Martin’s paid Ms. Hocking more than $2 million for the world English rights to a previous series, “Watersong.”