Sam Taylor-Johnson Quits ‘Fifty Shades Of Grey’ Franchise
Director Sam Taylor-Johnson has decided not to return to the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise.
A lot of sites are saying that Sam Taylor Johnson will not returning for Darker… I will really miss her
— 50ShadesUniverse (@Fifty_Universe) March 26, 2015
YES, it is OFFICIAL– Sam Taylor Johnson confirmed she will not be returning as director of #FiftyShadesDarker and #FiftyShadesFreed.
— Michelle (@fsog_greysessed) March 26, 2015
The 48-year-old director released an official statement on Wednesday about her decision to Us Weekly. In the statement, Taylor-Johnson reflects on the journey of making the first movie as well as the lasting bonds that she formed with the cast and crew.
“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, with Dakota [Johnson] and Jamie [Dornan].”
Her off-camera bonds and friendships with one of her leading stars, Jamie Dornan (Christian Grey), was reflected in an Instagram picture posted to her official profile on Wednesday.
Sam Taylor-Johnson further expressed her wishes of success for the blockbuster movie franchise in her absence.
“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 news of Sam Taylor-Johnson deciding to leave the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise might be a surprise to some, but not very many. Her turbulent working relationship with Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James made headlines all by itself.
In an interview with Porter magazine, the English director was able to confirm that there was some tension between the two of them. However, she called those intense encounters “creative fights” because of the reasoning behind them.
“I’m not going to lie. We definitely fought, but they were creative fights and we would resolve them… I’m not confrontational, but it was about finding a way between the two of us, satisfying her vision of what she’d written as well as my need to visualize this person on screen… We got there.”
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, production on the first sequel for the franchise, Fifty Shades Darker, was delayed due to the author’s demands for creative control over the screenplay. Rumors also started circulating about whether or not Jamie Dornan would stay on board for the rest of the franchise himself.
With the exit of Sam Taylor-Johnson as the film’s director, chances are that production on the new movies will be delayed even more.
[Image Credit: Getty Images]
