Given the delay the remaining two FIFTY SHADES OF GREY sequels had to endure as a new director and screenwriter were sought that met author E.L. James’ approval, the plan now appears to be that FIFTY SHADES DARKER and FIFTY SHADES FREED will head into production for a back-to-back shoot that would allow Universal to hit February release dates for both 2017 and 2018.
James Foley has been given the nod to sit in the director’s chair for both films, with E.L. James’ husband Niall Leonard tasked with penning both scripts. There had been rumors that James had been jockeying for position to handle those duties herself, but it looks as if she was able to find some sort of happy medium that still puts her in close proximity to the characters that became a huge hit in her writing.
Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson will reprise their roles as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele respectively for the completion of the trilogy that only gets more batshit as it rumbles onward, and this schedule will carve out a nice comfortable spot around Valentine’s Day for the next two chapters – a formula that already proved successful for FIFTY SHADES OF GREY which raked in $560 million and some change worldwide in a similar calendar spot.
James Foley has a decent resume to his name, with GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS and FEAR the two most notable movies under his belt and a lot of episodes of Netflix’s HOUSE OF CARDS, so it’ll be interesting to see what exactly he brings to the table visually for a story that E.L. James is sure to be very creatively hands-on given her deal for the rights.
FIFTY SHADES DARKER is officially dated for February 10, 2017, while FIFTY SHADES FREED is set for February 9, 2018.