Who is the new Christian Grey?

Earlier this week the producers of the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' movie were rumoured to be mulling an 'unknown' actor to play the role of Christian Grey.

Following the high profile departure of 'Sons of Anarchy' star Charlie Hunnam last week, who was said to have baulked at the mania surrounding the role, a replacement now appears to have been cast.

But is 31-year-old Irish actor Jamie Dornan the 'unknown' that was being mooted for the lead role in one of the most talked-about movies announced this year?

[Charlie Hunnam quits Fifty Shades of Grey movie]

He's not got the profile of Hunnam, that's for sure, and certainly not the A-list sway of a Ryan Gosling, who was also rumoured, but still Dornan has been quietly impressing for a few years now.

Many will have seen him in the excellent BBC drama 'The Fall', in which he played a brooding serial murderer in Belfast.

In a jarringly restrained performance, he went toe-to-toe for screen presence with the far more experienced Gillian Anderson.

[Robert Pattinson was first choice for Fifty Shades movie, says Brett Easton Ellis]

The series was left open-ended, and he's confirmed that he'll appear in a second season, with filming set to begin in January.

He also starred in the ABC fairytale drama series 'Once Upon A Time' in the US, playing Sheriff Graham Humbert – the Huntsman character – alongside Robert Carlyle and Ginnifer Goodwin.

But in terms of movies, he's something of a novice. Among just a handful of feature credits is his role of Axel von Ferson in Sofia Coppola's lavish 'Marie Antoinette' with Kirsten Dunst.

He's also known for his high-profile modelling work too, having fronted campaigns for Calvin Klein, Dior and Armani, opposite the likes of Eva Mendes and Kate Moss.

So while he's no Matt Bomer - the choice of a several thousand-strong 'Fifty Shades of Grey' petition - at least fans can check him out in his underpants to get an idea of what kind of Christian Grey he might be.

But as 'The Fall' confirmed, he's no clothes horse. Dornan is also a musician, formerly in the band Sons of Jim, though they went their separate ways in 2008.

Gossip mag readers would also know him for dating Keira Knightly in the mid-2000s, but earlier this year he married the actress and singer-songwriter Amelia Warner, with the couple expecting their first child.

Well, as the old saying goes, there's nothing quite like on-screen simulated S&M with Dakota Johnson to cement a lasting marriage...

The film is due out on August 1, 2014.