‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ will be rated …

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"Fifty Shades of Grey" has received an MPAA rating of R

There was a question whether it would be rated R or NC-17

The movie opens February 13

CNN  — 

One of the biggest questions about “Fifty Shades of Grey” – other than who would play the seductive Christian Grey – was how the film would be rated.

The movie is adapted from E.L. James’ best-selling erotic novel of the same name, which is famous for its racy BDSM scenarios. Early on in the film’s development, screenwriter Kelly Marcel suggested that she was aiming for a rating of NC-17.

In reality, “Fifty Shades” won’t be quite that steamy. According to Variety, the MPAA has deemed “Fifty Shades” worthy of an R rating, thanks to “strong sexual content including dialogue, some unusual behavior and graphic nudity.”

But for all the talk about sex, those involved in the project don’t want moviegoers to forget that “Fifty Shades” is a love story at its heart.

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson tells Details magazine in its February issue that she took on the project because she’d “not seen a love story as complex, or with sex as complex. You feel you’re in his world, then slowly it’s revealed that you’re in hers. To be able to flip this tale, without the woman becoming a victim, was something I felt strongly about.”

The film stars Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele, an inexperienced young woman who falls for the rich and mysterious Mr. Grey, played by Irish actor/model Jamie Dornan. Rita Ora, Jennifer Ehle, Luke Grimes and Marcia Gay Harden also star.

“Fifty Shades of Grey” opens in theaters February 13.