‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Star Dakota Johnson Sets The Rules In New Trailer [Video]


It has only been a year since the release of Fifty Shades of Grey, and even though audience reaction wasn’t as fevered as producers of the E.L. James adaptation had hoped, that hasn’t limited fan excitement for the second film in the series. Fifty Shades Darker marks the return of Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele and Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey, but neither character remains unchanged in the new sequel. Even the second trailer for Fifty Shades Darker, just recently dropped by Universal Pictures, shows that Johnson and Dornan played evolved characters whose relationship is further complicated by dangers both insidious and bold.

A Second Fifty Shades Darker Trailer Tells A Sordid Tale Of Power And Sex

‘Fifty Shades Darker’ turns up the heat for Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). [Image by Universal Pictures]

Following the mediocre reception of Fifty Shades of Grey, producers promised the sequel would be more suspenseful and filled with a greater emphasis on the BDSM aspects of the relationship between Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. As Us Weekly reports, a new trailer for Fifty Shades Darker suggests that promise has been kept, delivering a story of lust and power, mingled with personal and sinister threats to the characters played by Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan.

Drawing attention from the outset, Dakota and Dornan again sizzle as sex partners and romantic interests, defying Johnson’s edict of talk only. As fans of Fifty Shades of Grey will remember, Grey and Steele didn’t leave off in the best place by the end of that film. As Fifty Shades Darker opens, the two characters are still separated and that’s something Dakota’s character seems to prefer.

“Yes, I will have dinner with you because I’m hungry, but we are only talking and that is it,” says Johnson in her Fifty Shades Darker role.

Fear not, die-hard romantics. It isn’t long before Anastasia and Christian are getting naughty. In the restaurant, the elevator, the shower, and wherever else the mood strikes them. This perfect love affair is soon given a long overdue reality check, when Mrs. Robinson, also known as Elena Lincoln (Kim Basinger), the first woman to have introduced Christian to the ways of BDSM, shows up to throw a damper on Anastasia’s fantasy.

If that’s not bad enough, Fifty Shades Darker also introduces a new love interest for Johnson, diverting her attention away from Grey at a crucial moment, forcing him to deal with his ex-lovers in a suddenly perilous game of cat and mouse.

If the new Fifty Shades Darker trailer is any indication, Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan may have an even bigger hit on their hands than was the case with Fifty Shades of Grey. Johnson and Dornan handled that previous media and fan frenzy with grace and good humor, but it remains to be seen how they’ll fare in the wake of an even bigger blockbuster.

Fifty Shades Darker Steers Clear Of An NC-17 Rating

‘Fifty Shades Darker’ avoids an NC-17 MPAA rating. [Image by Universal Pictures]

As was the case with Fifty Shades of Grey, the sequel will be boiling with gratuitous sex and nudity, but, also like the first film, E! News reports that Fifty Shades Darker has just barely skimmed in under the radar for an R rating. While there had been suspicions that Fifty Shades Darker would be slapped with an NC-17 rating by the MPAA, it seems the ratings agency has deemed the film mild enough to get the lower R rating for “strong erotic sexual content, some graphic nudity and language.”

It’s too early to tell if that’s a good thing or a bad thing, as fans have been hoping the sequel will live up to its name and deliver a much darker fantasy, something more in line with the E.L. James books.

While the R rating may be seen as an omen to some, there’s also promise in the fact that James is returning to Fifty Shades Darker as a producer, along with the first film’s producers, Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti.

Fifty Shades Darker will hit theaters on February 10, 2017.

[Featured Image by Universal Pictures]

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