Fifty Shades sequel release dates confirmed

We finally have confirmed release dates for the next two installments of the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise. As it currently stands, to keep with the Valentine's Day tradition, we won't be getting Fifty Shades Darker until February 10, 2017 while the third installment (presumably titled Fifty Shades Freed) will hit theaters on February 9, 2018.

Universal seems to be taking a huge gamble with these release dates. I say that because you would assume these films would be fast-tracked to keep the attention of the public. Having the sequel two years from the first one is a bit crazy. I assumed they'd at least try and film by the end of this year for 2016 and 2017 releases.
This comes a day after Universal announced that Fifty Shades author EL James' husband, Niall Leonard, has been hired to pen the screenplay for Fifty Shades Darker. This compromise came after James caused the departure of director Sam Taylor-Johnson and writer Kelly Marcel. Now that it has become blatantly obvious that EL James has taken full control of this franchise there is no telling what is going to happen. For all we know the director for Fifty Shades Darker will be James.

Surprisingly, I really enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey but I credit that to Sam Taylor-Johnson. The direction was solid and the cinematography was amazing. With her departure I think it's pretty safe to say that the cinematographer, Seamus McGarvey, won't be returning either. We now have a new writer and will have a new director and most likely a new cinematographer. We still have multiple characters that need to be cast (the big one being "Mrs. Robinson") and the remaining actors from the first film are demanding ridiculously high salaries.

This franchise quickly is turning into even more of a joke than it originally was.

 

EL James' husband to pen Fifty Shades Darker

This just keeps getting better and better.

In a last attempt to meet with Fifty Shades author EL James' ridiculous demands over creative control, Universal has hired her husband to pen the screenplay for Fifty Shades Darker. Originally, James (aka, Erika Leonard) was demanding to pen the screenplay for the sequel despite having absolutely no experience.
Niall Leonard, in all fairness, does have some experience including work on some British television shows. He also, apparently, did some uncredited work on the original Fifty Shades of Grey script that was written by Kelly Marcel and his wife, EL James.

This is all absolutely ridiculous. When I first read the article I started laughing thinking, this has to be a joke! But it's no joke and it's all on Universal and Focus Features for giving this bitch so much input on the movies. I don't know if another studio would have negotiated something better when it comes to this woman, but the way Universal has set this up pretty much means they're doing this to themselves.
As it currently stands, Fifty Shades Darker is basically at a stand still. In addition to the screenplay fiasco, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan are currently in contract negotiations because they both are demanding a significantly larger sum of money for the sequels; sums that actually exceed the entire budget the first film had.

Sam Taylor-Johnson exits Fifty Shades franchise

This isn't really a surprise, but Universal announced today that Sam Taylor-Johnson will not return to direct the Fifty Shades of Grey sequels. She quite famously clashed with Fifty Shades author, EL James, on set and after James demanded to pen the script for Fifty Shades Darker it's assumed that was the final straw for her.

Sam Taylor-Johnson had this to say about her departure:

"Directing Fifty Shades of Grey has 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, Dakota and Jamie. 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."

The film has been a surprising success at the box office despite rather overwhelmingly negative critical reviews. It's another franchise, it seems, where the fans love it but the critics hate it. Like I said, this isn't really surprising but I think it's perhaps the biggest mistake Universal could have made regarding this franchise, aside from allowing James to pen the scripts.
The movie wasn't great but it wasn't horrible and I credited Sam Taylor-Johnson for a lot of that. The element she brought to the film was a pleasant surprise and she gave it a mood that was tolerable.  I think losing her puts the sequels at great risk of becoming gimmicky, corny, or feeling mismatched with the first film. We've seen this with film franchises too many times such as Harry Potter, Twilight, The Hunger Games, etc.. Some films outshine the others while some are downright horrible and it's all the direction. Directors bring a lot of elements to a film and when they depart or enter, they have the power to change the whole dynamic of the story.

Mark my words, that will happen with this franchise. I would go far enough to say each film will have a different director. Given what Sam Taylor-Johnson put up with regarding EL James' involvement, I don't think any director in Hollywood will tolerate her shit for more than one film. It's come out that James feuded with Taylor-Johnson over the ending of the film, the dialogue, and how Christian Grey was portrayed. With that said, I would bet that Universal will seek out a director that has similar ideals to EL James or is willing to tolerate the ridiculous amount of control the studio gave her.

Fifty Shades stars demand higher salaries for sequels

Fifty Shades of Grey has managed to bring in over $500 million internationally since the Valentine's Day release and apparently the actors want to bring in some of the profits. The film's lead actors, Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, are reportedly demanding higher paychecks for the still unannounced sequels.

Dornan and Johnson were each paid $250,000 for Fifty Shades of Grey and were given a 3-film contract along with it. They are entitled to box office bonuses that they are no doubt rolling those right now, but the bottom line is Universal negotiated such low salaries to keep the film's budget low. Why? No one knew if this film was going to be successful. The international box office shows that viewers were curious enough to see it, but the 73% drop in the second week shows that people weren't into seeing it more than once.
It seems that the actors are trying to negotiate for deals similar to what actors in the Twilight and Hunger Games franchises have gotten. An example being how Jennifer Lawrence's salary from The Hunger Games to Catching Fire went from $500,000 to $10 million. Kristen Stewart had a similar jump as she went from making just $2 million for Twilight to over $12 million for the final Breaking Dawn film. She also became the highest paid star in Hollywood back in 2012 and currently has a net worth of $70 million. As it currently stands, Dornan's net worth is sitting around $3 million while Johnson is at $1 million.

You can't blame the actors for wanting a bigger slice of the pie, especially considering the amount of money this movie raked in. However, there are a lot of people out there that think Universal might seek a less expensive option for the sequel which would be replacing the actors. Personally, I don't think they'd replace the actors given the familiarity they have with this story and the fact that Dakota Johnson was fantastic but you never know. Weirder things have happened in Hollywood.
There currently is no start date for the Fifty Shades sequels and Universal has yet to officially announce them, but insiders are claiming that Universal is aiming for releases in 2016 and 2017.

Jamie Dornan is not quitting the Fifty Shades franchise

Rumors have been running rampant regarding the unannounced, but inevitable, Fifty Shades sequels and the latest victim was the franchise's lead actor, Jamie Dornan. The rumors were that he was reportedly quitting the franchise because of his wife's discomfort with the role and his popularity.

Dornan released a statement today via his representative to set the record straight:

"Jamie is delighted that the film is breaking box office records worldwide and whilst the studio has not made any formal announcements about sequels, he is looking forward to making the next film."

In addition to that, it was made clear that Dornan would not be making any further statements until the sequels are officially announced. Many sources are now saying that both Dornan and Dakota Johnson have already signed contracts for the sequels and it's just a waiting game until the studio sorts out the problems and announces them. Johnson previously let it slip in an interview with Telegraph that it was a good thing she was excited for the sequels because she has to do them. 

I think at this point the best thing to do regarding this franchise is to not believe anything you read or hear unless it's coming directly from Universal.

EL James wants full control of Fifty Shades sequels

I personally, and surprisingly, enjoyed Fifty Shades of Grey but I credit a big part of that to one thing: EL James didn't have complete control.

Apparently the British author is trying to up the ante with the studios and is now demanding complete creative control over the sort of confirmed Fifty Shades sequels. James' level of involvement with Fifty Shades of Grey became rather well-known as insiders blabbed to the tabloids about on-set fights between her and director Sam Taylor-Johnson. The rift and overbearing control over the source material even caused issues with the actors at one point.
Confirmation of the sequels was originally thought to be official, but since the release we haven't gotten any confirmation from Universal and the actors have made it clear via talk shows and magazine articles that sequels aren't official just yet, but they would love to return as the characters for more films. Insiders are assuming that two people won't be back, especially if full control is given to James, and that is Sam Taylor-Johnson and screenwriter Kelly Marcel. Marcel and James evidently had a falling out while writing the original draft of the screenplay that spawned a rewrite because the original draft James assisted with was horrible. This is no surprise seeing how horribly written the books were.

Now... unless this is all in the contract that was written when Universal purchased the film rights, there is no reason why EL James has to be involved at all. This has to be somewhat true because Universal is reluctant to give her full control for a couple reasons:

1. She is unfamiliar with Hollywood and how film adaptations of books work.  (obviously)
2. She has never written a screenplay by herself. 
3. She only has three writing credits to her name (aka, the Fifty Shades trilogy) and they are all within the last four years. Not to mention the trilogy spawned from poorly written Twilight fan-fiction she posted online.

Insiders are claiming that the reason the sequels haven't been officially announced by Universal is because they are fighting with EL James and it's holding up production. That is why the actors are having to beat around the bush when people ask them about sequels and that is most likely why Sam Taylor-Johnson went from saying on The Today Show she had signed onto the sequels to not saying anything at all. Come the day that things get squared away, if and when, production likely won't start until 2016 which would delay the sequels by at least a year. This is not smart because despite what it may seem like now, the fandom and mania will die down and people will lose interest. With franchises like these it is in the best interest to release a film every year. I assumed Fifty Shades Darker would hit in 2016 and Fifty Shades Freed would in 2017, but if they can't get past EL James and her demands that isn't going to happen.
This also puts the actors in a bind which is something I don't think they realize. Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan are on everyone's radar and there is no doubt that they are being sought after for roles, especially now that the international box office for Fifty Shades is over $300 million. Until they know when production of Fifty Shades Darker will start they can't really commit to other projects. If they do and a sequel is officially announced they might have some scheduling conflicts which would put them in a situation where Fifty Shades would take priority since they are contractually obligated to appear. That's not fair at all and this makes it even more obvious that EL James doesn't give a shit about the other people involved in this franchise.

The complaints most people have so far about Fifty Shades of Grey was regarding the script and the so-called "bore factor" that the film brought, but knowing how difficult production was with James' involvement you can't really blame them. Universal gave this woman way too much power and now she wants more. If Taylor-Johnson does really walk and won't direct the sequels they are going to have some major problems. Her vision for the film was actually quite beautiful and I don't think the sequels will have the same vision or elements if she is not involved. Not to mention they are going to have a hell of a time finding a director who is willing to work with EL James and take her shit with a grain of salt.

Smh.

Fifty Shades of Grey quickly shatters records

No one really knew what to expect from the release of Fifty Shades of Grey this weekend, but the film adaptation of the erotic novel has surprised many and in three days has shattered box office records.

Not only has it already grossed $239.7 million at the international box office (and still climbing), it managed to bring in $81 million just in the United States. The film has more than made up its $40 million budget and it has been said that films for "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed" are most likely happening.

Want some more records?

• Biggest President's/Valentine's Day opener (previously was Valentine's Day with $56.3 million)
• Second highest film from a female director (first place still belongs to The Matrix Reloaded from the Wachowski's)
• Highest number of theater screenings with 3,646 locations (previously was The Hangover: Part II with 3,615)
• Biggest single-day February opening with $36.7 million (previously was Passion of the Christ with $33.1 million)
• Second biggest February debut (first place still belongs to Passion of the Christ with $83.9 million)
• Fourth biggest R-rated opening (still got beat by The Matrix Reloaded, The Hangover: Part II, and Passion of the Christ... no pun intended)
• Universal's second biggest international opening with $158 million (first still belongs to Fast & Furious 6 with $160.3 million)
• Biggest R-rated international release (previously was The Matrix Revolutions with $117 million)

I have yet to see Fifty Shades of Grey, but reviews of the film so far have been a mixed bag. It's pretty much a hit with fans and there are some critics out there that have given it some positivity, but it's received an overwhelmingly negative reactive from most film critics. The basics that I have gotten is it's watered down and sappy because they turned it into a love story. Also that Dakota Johnson is by far the best part of the movie and Jamie Dornan struggled and was flat.

With all that said, the box office alone proves that a lot of people were curious. I have no doubt we'll have more Fifty Shades in 2016 and 2017. 

Fifty Shades of Grey sequels confirmed

The Today Show held a special premiere of Fifty Shades of Grey at New York's Ziegfeld Theater with lead actors Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson in attendance as well as author EL James and director Sam Taylor-Johnson. Reactions to the film are still trickling in on the internet, but one tidbit of information that did manage to leak was that films for the two Fifty Shades sequels will be happening.

Director Sam Taylor-Johnson announced at the screening that Universal has approved sequels and we will indeed be getting films for Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. Despite many people saying the actors have no chemistry and several domestic violence and religious groups urging moviegoers to boycott the film, the ticket presales alone gives Universal enough reason to give these projects the green light. There is no telling whether Taylor-Johnson will return to direct, but if EL James remains as involved as she was with the first film I don't think she will be coming back. Their creative differences is no secret and Taylor-Johnson has taken just about every opportunity she has gotten to blast James for her ridiculous amount of control over the project.

So like it or not, we have 2-3 more years of this franchise so you might as well get used to it. Now starts the fan arguments over who should be cast as Elena "Mrs. Robinson" Lincoln and Jack Hyde.

Personally, I found Fifty Shades Freed to be the most enjoyable book, by far, so hopefully they don't take that away and make it completely nuts... or split it into two parts.

Edit: According to insider sources, and the actors, the sequels aren't a done deal just yet. Everyone went from saying they were confirmed to saying they are hoping they happen. The truth is Universal is currently fighting with Fifty Shades author EL James over her demands and it is stalling production. As a result, Universal isn't officially announcing anything until they sort things out with James.