The next two sequels to last year's Valentine's Day hit Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, will be helmed by the same director, James Foley, and also be filmed back-to-back.
Rejoice, ladies everywhere. You will not only be getting more Fifty Shades bondage and sexual sadism, but you will be getting the big screen debuts for the next two sequels in back-to-back years. The next two films in the series, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed will look to have the same box office influence as the first installment in the series did, pulling in $570 million dollars worldwide.
Both sequels appear to be getting the same director, and it is none other than rumored sequel director James Foley (Glengarry Glen Ross) according to The Wrap. The site reports that the films will both be shot during 2016, and will be released worldwide in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Below is the teaser trailer for the sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker.
The first film did poorly in the face of critics upon its release, but that didn't seem to sway people from swarming theaters to watch the steamy sex tale. Critical reception wasn't the only negative stigma that floated over the film. There were reports of issues between the film's two main actors, and there were even reports that there were issues between the writer E.L. James, the director Sam Taylor-Johnson, and the screenwriter Kelly Marcel. Due to these issues, Taylor-Johnson and Marcel opted not to return to the series.
The film was able to keep its two stars, as both Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson are both expected to return as the unlikely lovers, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, in the sequels.
Both films will look to target Valentine's Day in 2017 and 2018 for theatrical release.
