Production problems on Fifty Shades of Grey between director Sam Taylor-Johnson and author E.L. James are well-known. While the director was excited to announce that there was going to be sequel with the returning lead stars, Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, many speculated that the ongoing disagreements would have an effect on her return.
Now we are getting confirmation that the first sequel, Fifty Shades Darker, will need a new director as Taylor-Johnson has revealed that she will not be returning for to the franchise.
50 Shades of Grey hits theaters today just in time for Valentine’s Day and every male (or female) who indulges their female (or male) will be flocking to the movies this weekend to see this titillating film. After seeing the movie (review posted by GoD very soon), I was able to figure out why I liked it so much, while also pinpointing just what wasn’t sitting right.
Without further ado….my likes and dislikes for this guilty pleasure.
Fifty Shades of Grey Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson
Screenwriter: Kelly Marcel
Cast: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eloise Mumford, Luke Grimes, Rita Ora, Jennifer Ehle, Marcia Gay Harden Universal Pictures
Rated R | 125 Minutes
Release Date: February 13, 2015
Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy), Fifty Shades of Grey is based upon E.L. James‘ best-selling erotic novel about a steamy, masochistic relationship between a college student and a businessman.
Dakota Johnson (The Social Network, 21 Jump Street) stars as Anastasia Steele, a student at Washington State University Vancouver, where she majors in English literature. For a college newspaper assignment, Ana visits Grey Industries to interview the wealthy, handsome, and charismatic entrepreneur Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan, The Fall).
Like it or not, the Fifty Shades Of Grey movie is happening. One of the more difficult novels to adapt because of its highly sexualized content, Sam Taylor-Johnson‘s adaptation of the popular first novel in E.L. James’ erotica trilogy opens this weekend, Insiders are saying that the film is already $60 million in advance at the box office, and early ticket sales are showing that it is one of the fastest-selling R-rated movies on online ticket sites like Fandango.
Sure the first Fifty Shades has yet to open and prove itself at the box office, but because of those early ticket sales and favorable projections, Universal has already greenlit the big-screen adaptations of the sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. Hit the jump for more.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press