"Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed," which are the sequels to the raunchy blockbuster that premiered on Valentine's Day this year, have just gotten their official release dates. However, unlike the original film, the next two films will be hitting theaters days before Valentine's Day.
Universal Pictures just announced that "Fifty Shades Darker" will be premiering on Feb. 10, 2017, while "Fifty Shades Freed" will be out in cinemas by Feb. 9, 2018.
Irish actor Jamie Dornan from the TV show "Once Upon A Time" was cast for the role of the handsome businessman, Christian Grey. Meanwhile, "Need for Speed" actress, Dakota Johnson, who also happens to be the daughter of Melanie Griffith, was chosen to portray the role of Grey's love interest, Anastasia Steele.
This raunchy book-to-movie franchise was actually based on the international bestselling novels written by EL James, whose real name is Erika Leonard. "Fifty Shades of Grey" ended in a cliffhanger that made the audience antsy for the next two books that are going to be translated to the big screen.
News about the sequels getting release dates first surfaced a day after Hollywood Reporter confirmed that the script was going to be penned by Niall Leonard.
Furthermore, Sam Taylor-Johnson, the director of "Fifty Shades of Grey," will no longer be returning to the set of the franchise. She relinquished her directorial rights after constantly clashing with the book's author, according to a separate report from Hollywood Reporter.
Moreover, the report mentioned that the two main stars of the movie, Dornan and Johnson, are reportedly asking for an increase for "Darker" and "Freed" - and for good reason. "Fifty Shades of Grey" dominated the global box office having reeled in a total of $568.8 million.
In the franchise's second installment, it will not only pick up where the first film left off but will also reportedly delve deeper into the nooks of the newfound relationship between Christian and Anastasia. However, considering that it has the word "Darker" in the title, it will also reportedly introduce the male protagonist's darker side especially since Mrs. Robinson will now enter the picture, as stated in a Fan Sided article.
Meanwhile, "Fifty Shades Freed" will reportedly continue the story by depicting the repercussions of their relationship. They will be facing off with a much stronger foe - one who will stop at nothing to break them apart.
