With Fifty Shades of Grey tracking to bring in a huge opening weekend, it's no surprise that Universal will probably move forward with the sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.
According to MTV, the announcement was made last Friday at the first fan screening New York’s Zeigfeld Theatre with Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, director Sam Taylor-Johnson, and author E.L. James in attendance. This news was greeted with the following tweets:
I wouldn't say I'm necessarily "excited" for Fifty Shades of Grey, but it has my morbid curiosity, especially since Dornan and Johnson clearly loathe each other and Taylor-Johnson and James aren't on the best terms either. But none of that will matter if the fans get what they want on screen, although they were already furious (perhaps inevitably so) when the casting didn't go their way. As long as they show up, they can probably expect the next two books to reach the big screen.
The erotic film is expected to open at over $60 million this weekend, so the question isn't really "Are they going to move forward with sequels?" but "How fast will they get the films into theaters?" Is this going to be a Valentine's Day tradition through 2017 or possibly even 2018 if there's the standard practice of splitting the last book in a trilogy into two parts?
While we eagerly await the reaction to Fifty Shades of Grey, check out a new TV spot. The film opens February 13th. [via The Playlist]
Here’s the official synopsis for Fifty Shades of Grey:
Fifty Shades of Grey is the hotly anticipated film adaptation of the bestselling book that has become a global phenomenon. Since its release, the “Fifty Shades” trilogy has been translated into 51 languages worldwide and sold more than 100 million copies in e-book and print—making it one of the biggest and fastest-selling book series ever. Stepping into the roles of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, who have become iconic to millions of readers, are Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson. Joining Dornan and Johnson in the cast are Luke Grimes as Elliot, Christian’s brother; Victor Rasuk as José, Anastasia’s close friend; Eloise Mumford as Kate, Anastasia’s best friend and roommate; Marcia Gay Harden as Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey, Christian’s mother; Rita Ora as Mia, Christian’s sister; Max Martini as Taylor, Christian’s bodyguard; Callum Keith Rennie as Ray, Anastasia’s stepfather; Jennifer Ehle as Carla, Anastasia’s mother; and Dylan Neal as Bob, Carla’s husband. Fifty Shades of Grey is directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson and produced by Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti alongside E L James, the creator of the series. The screenplay for the film is by Kelly Marcel.
