‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Gets A Director – The Daily Double Talk

By Tommy McGrew

You really thought the bullshit train was going to make a stop? Oh no not even for a second. Universal is getting ready for the sequel to one of its 2015 hits Fifty Shades of Grey ($500 million worldwide), Fifty Shades Darker. But this time around there is some big changes. Personally I’m still not convinced that this movie will be on my list of the year’s best films but it does seem that the people over at Universal studios have heard the jokes about their serial killeresque leading man and may be incorporating that into the story. Some of the changes that will occur are vague but courtesy of Movies.com heres are the new things we know.

First off, there will be a new director this time around. Sam Taylor-Johnson has stepped away from the project and seasoned veteran director James Foley (Fear and Glenngarry Glen Ross) will be filling in. This is a bit of an odd choice to go from a female director to a more conventional, older director. Recently he’s directed episodes of House of Cards. But some unfortunate news, original writer Kelly Marcel who managed to pull something out of E.L. James’ amateurish first novel. This time around though Marcel is being replaced by, wait for it…E.L. James’ own husband Niall Leonard per her request of course. She was said to have had a problem with Marcel’s adaptation of her debut novel Fifty Shades of Grey. The most interesting tidbit was that they said this film will be more of a thriller. I never saw the original so I could be wrong but I didn’t recall hearing anything about it that said thriller, aside of course Jeffery Dahmer—I mean Christian Grey. Universal chairman Donna Langley said Fifty Shades Darker would “be more of a thriller” and Dakota Johnson’s character Anastasia Steele “Encounters characters both old and new who create more intrigue, and possible danger, in her personal life, and affect her future prospects with Christian.” So basically it sounds like the same illogical bullshit, right? Right. Speaking of Dakota Johnson, she and Jamie Dornan will be returning, seemingly one of the only things that will remain the same. 

Fifty Shades Darker opens February 10, 2017 and Fifty Shades Freed opens February 9, 2018 both are looking to capitalize off Valentines Day business, same as Fifty Shades of Grey.

[Source: Movies.com]