Ian Somerhalder: 'Vampire Diaries' Actor Back in 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Casting Rumours After Charlie Hunnam's Exit [PHOTOS]

"Vampire Diaries" star Ian Somerhalder's name is linked once again to the "Fifty Shades of Grey" casting rumours now that the major lead character spot became empty after actor Charline Hunnam walked away from the role of Christian Grey due to a tight TV schedule for "Sons of Anarchy." In fact, the other fan favorite actors such as Matt Bomer and Robert Pattinson were thrown back into the casting news as well as the actors who could possibly replace Mr Hunnam.

"The filmmakers of Fifty Shades of Grey and Charlie Hunnam have agreed to find another male lead given Hunnam's immersive TV schedule which is not allowing him time to adequately prepare for the role of Christian Grey," Universal Pictures declared in a released statement, according to the Hollywood Reporter. The FSOG casting news begins again until the production team finds the replacement actor to portray the role of handsome billionaire Christian Grey.

In the past, the 34-year-old heartthrob actor had expressed about his interest in taking the role if it was offered to him. "It could be anyone - that's how that goes," Ian teased the excited FSOG fans. The "Vampire Diaries" star further added: "One can never get bored of people asking about a huge project. Every guy in Hollywood is up for this role."

Fans are hoping that Ian Somerhalder will bag the much coveted role of Christian Grey but his busy work schedule with "The Vampire Diaries" Season 5 could also be the reason for the actor not to get the part. Mr Somerhalder returned to the set to work on the upcoming episodes for the brand new season of the CW TV series.

On Friday, Oct. 11, the actor shared to his millions of fans on social networking site Instagram an image of himself at the TVD set. "On set right now with my brother/Vampire Diaries Director @chrisgrismer He's a visual genius and I love his style. He made a gift for me - I wanted to share it with you," Ian wrote as a caption to the image.

Additionally, Ian Somerhalder has other things on his plate like his dedicating time to work on a huge project for his birthday in December. The actor asks for donations in order to raise money for the Ian Somerhalder Foundation (ISF) that focuses on environmental causes and animal rights. Fans can catch a glimpse of actor Ian Somerhalder as hunky vampire Damon Salvatore in "The Vampire Diaries" Season 5 which airs Thursday nights on the CW network.