Back in February, just a few daysafterFifty Shades of Greyopened in theaters, a report surfaced that claimed directorSam Taylor-Johnsonis not coming back to direct the sequel,Fifty Shades Darker. ScreenwriterKelly Marcelis also not expected to come back, since authorE.L. Jamesis reportedly demanding to write the screenplay herself. The sequel still doesn’t have an official green light yet, but today,Sam Taylor-Johnsonissued an statement toDeadlinethat confirms she is parting ways with theFifty Shadesfranchise. Here’s what she had to say below.
“DirectingFifty Shades of Greyhas been an intense and incredible journey for which I am hugely grateful. I have Universal to thank for that. I forged close and lasting relationships with the cast, producers and crew and most especially, withDakota (Johnson)andJamie (Dornan). While I will not be returning to direct the sequels, I wish nothing but success to whosoever takes on the exciting challenges of films two and three.”
It isn’t known if Universal is actively seeking a director to take over for both Fifty Shades Darker andFifty Shades Freedquite yet. Stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan are under contract to return as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey for both follow-ups, but we reported earlier this month that they both want significant raises, since the first movie turned out to be such a big hit. There have been rumors of clashes betweenSam Taylor-JohnsonandE.L. James, who had an enormous amount of creative control for a first-time author, as she tried to please the fans of her books as much as possible. We reported earlier this month that Universal is eyeing an early 2016 production start date for Fifty Shades Darker, and planned release date for early 2017.
Fifty Shades of Greyhas earned over $164 million domestically and $558 million worldwide, from just a $40 million production budget. Who do you think should take the helm on Fifty Shades Darker andFifty Shades Freed? Let us know what you think below.
