Oh, what irony. There’s a scene in the Fifty Shades of Grey movie in which the leading girl finds out her partner’s true expectations and just flees in horror. The same just happened behind the scenes. Director Sam Taylor-Johnson has officially left and will not direct the sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed (which will probably be split into two movies), and screenwriter Kelly Marcel seems to be out as well.
That decision doesn’t seem to make sense at first. This first movie managed to gross over $558 million worldwide. Compared to both Taylor-Johnson’s and Marcel’s previous projects, it’s clearly the biggest and most successful thing they have ever done. Even if they weren’t actually interested in this world, continuing on would mean bigger paychecks and increased studio support in whatever they would’ve liked to develop next.
And their movie is actually a pretty solid flick. Believe me, it’s gorgeously filmed and leading actress Dakota Johnson happens to be a revelation. It may still be the adaptation of the terribly written novel, but they had managed to turn it into something worthwhile. Which is exactly what brought up conflict. Author E.L. James was deeply dissatisfied with the many changes, but initially had to give in due to her inexperience with movies. Now she has the power to demand the sequels to match her vision, and her vision only. It’s no wonder both Taylor-Johnson and Marcel fled in terror.
As for Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson? They are both signed for the sequels, but they’re currently deep in negotiations. The producers have already stated they won’t raise their paychecks one bit, and both of them have several offers for other movies. There’s an actual possibility they might leave, too.
What about you guys think? How many of you have you even seen the movie?
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