With the first film, Fifty Shades of Grey, currently in theaters and performing beyond expectations at the box office, Variety is reporting on a new wrinkle that could affect future big screen adaptations of the book’s two sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.
According to the trade, author E L James is seeking creative control over the screenplay to the first sequel and is currently negotiating with Universal Pictures to provide the adaptation herself. Kelly Marcel, who drafted the first film, is not likely to return, nor is director Sam Taylor-Johnson.
Starring Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Victor Rasuk, Marcia Gay Harden, Callum Keith Rennie, Jennifer Ehle, Max Martini, Luke Grimes, Eloise Mumford and Rita Ora, Fifty Shades of Grey is currently standing at a worldwide box office haul of more than $311 million.
A global phenomenon, Fifty Shades of Grey was first published in 2011 and follows the relationship of 27-year-old billionaire Christian Grey (Dornan) and college student Anastasia Steele (Johnson).
The subsequent novels in the series explore the couple’s deepening relationship. The trilogy has been translated in over 50 languages worldwide since its release. To date, the ”Fifty Shades” trilogy has sold over 70 million copies worldwide in e-book and print, making it one of the fastest-selling book series ever.
