VIDEO: Guess WHICH blonde bombshell is playing a cougar in the new 50 Shades of Grey film?

THE SEXIEST actress of her generation has been cast as Christian Grey's older lover in the sequel Fifty Shades Darker. (WARNING: ADULT CONTENT)

 

Last summer it was reported that Charlize Theron was in negotiations to play the pivotal role.

Well, The Mad max star has bowed out in favour of an even more legendary Hollywood blonde.

 

Kim Basinger is the perfect fit for 50 Shades of Grey

 

This legendary sex symbol clearly has a thing for numbers.

She steamed up the screen in 9 1/2 Weeks and now Kim Basinger is set to sizzle in Fifty Shades Darker.

 

Kim Basinger looking incredible at a film screening last year.

 

Kim Basinger in 9 1/2 Weeks

 

But the most incredible number of all is 62.

Yup, that's how old this stunning actress is as she prepares to seduce Christian Grey in the eagerly awaited sequel.

How can Dakota Johnson compete that?

Kim will play the key role of Elena Lincoln, Christian Grey’s business partner and former lover, in Fifty Shades Darker.

 

The character is referenced in the first film, but Kim is set to make a big splash in the sequel.

Any girl who comes to Hollywood with sex symbol or bombshell hanging over her has a rough road

Kim Basinger

 

Lincoln is much older than Christian Grey, who is 27 in the books. Although Jamie Dornan himself is 33, that still makes a 29-year age gap between the two sexy stars.

Recent pictures of the ever-beautiful Kim prove that she will be more than convincing as the older lover of the S&M playboy.

The author EL James has already set her stamp of approval on the casting, retweeting out the announcement as soon as it was made.

Dakota Johnson will be returning to reprise her role as Anastasia Steele, with James Foley taking over directing from Sam Taylor-Johnson.

WATCH THAT STRIPTEASE SCENE FROM 9 1/2 WEEKS NEXT:

 

Basinger and Mickey Rourke in 9 1/2 Weeks

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Production is due to begin in the spring and the film makers Universal is planning to shoot both Fifty Shades Darker and the final film in the trilogy, Fifty Shades Freed, back-to-back.

Fifty Shades Darker will be released in 2017, with Fifty Shades Freed following in 2018.

As for Kim, she managed to make the contents of a fridge the sexiest thing on the big screen for an entire decade, so she should have no problem managing with a few whips and chains.

The actress once acknowledged the difficulties of being viewed as a sex symbol, saying: "Any girl who comes to Hollywood with sex symbol or bombshell hanging over her has a rough road."

 

So, it's not surprising that she is still best-remembered for THOSE sexy scenes in 9 1/2 Weeks.

Basinger did get a chance prove her acting abilities when she won an Oscar for her moving portrayal of a Hollywood call girl in LA Confidential.

She's also been happy to poke fun at her sex symbol image in films like My Stepmother Is An Alien and Wayne's World 2. 

Even so, we can't wait to see her get her teeth (maybe literally) into Christian Grey in the new film...