With Fifty Shades Darker finally having selected a director in James Foley , it seems as though the sequel to Fifty Shades of Grey is finally getting up and running. Dakota Johnson is one cast member who is excited about Foley joining the team, but she recently revealed that she was initially nervous about the prospects of a new director.
“It’s quite exciting,” Johnson, who will be reprising her role as Anastasia Steele, told Empire . “There was a moment of being afraid, because I didn’t know what it was going to be like. I had an experience with Sam [Taylor-Johnson] and then that all went away.”
Foley, best known for his work on Netflix’s hit political drama House of Cards , is replacing previous director Taylor-Johnson, who decided to cut ties with the franchise over creative differences with author E.L. James.
Although Johnson admitted she a little hesitant at first without Taylor-Johnson leading the way, the actress went on to praise Foley for his abilities as a director and stated the film would have a vastly different feel to it.
“Now I’m excited. I think James is a talented filmmaker,” she revealed in the interview. “How often do you get to reconvene with the same people and have a different spin?”
Meanwhile, Jamie Dornan is set to reprise his role as Christian Grey in the sequel, which will also feature a number of new characters, including the villainous Jack Hyde and Elena Lincoln. However, the casting for the additional characters is still underway, so it isn’t known who will be playing those new parts. At the same time, both Dornan and Johnson have also agreed to appear in the third film in the franchise, Fifty Shades Freed .
Fifty Shades of Grey , which was released during Valentine’s Day last year, managed to earn over $550 million in worldwide sales, shattering previous box office records. With the sequel being helmed by a new director with promises of a different look and feel, the second film in the hit erotic series is sure to once again draw fans to the big screens.
Now that the franchise has a new director, the films are expected to soon get back on schedule. Fifty Shades Darker is being written by Niall Leonard — the husband of E.L. James — and is expected to be released on February 10, 2017. The third film in the franchise, Fifty Shades Freed is set for a February 9, 2018, release.
[Image Courtesy: Anthony Harvey/Getty]
