Has ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Finally Found It’s Director? Plus Who Is Trying To Break-Up Ana And Christian

Although production for Fifty Shades Darker is expected to begin soon, the movie has yet to find a suitable director. However, there are a few good candidates in the running, with James Foley being the most likely person to fill the opening.

According to Deadline, not only is Foley a great choice to direct the new movie, but he is also at the very top of Universal’s list of potential directors. In fact, he may even be set to direct the third part of the franchise, Fifty Shades Freed.

Negotiations are expected to commence shortly between Universal and Foley, who will be replacing director Sam Taylor-Johnson who declined to direct the sequel following her work on Fifty Shades of Grey. Taylor-Johnson’s decision to not direct any more films in the franchise follows what was a hugely successful box office run for Fifty Shades of Grey, which made over $550 million in worldwide sales.

For his part, Foley has directed a number of films and television shows over the years. His list of film credits include Fear, starring Mark Wahlberg, and At Close Range, starring Glengarry Glen Ross. Foley has also directed a number of episodes for TV shows, including House of Cards, Hannibal, and Wayward Pines.

Meanwhile, the script for Fifty Shades Darker has already been written by E.L. James’ husband, Niall Leonard. Along with James acting as a producer, Michael de Luca and Dana Brunetti will be assisting her in the production work.

Fifty Shades Darker, which will feature both Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan returning in their roles as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, is also set to include a number of new characters. The new faces include the roles of Jack Hyde and Elena Lincoln.

Jack is expected to be introduced in the new movie as the story’s main antagonist. Jack is Anastasia’s new boss who attempts to get with her no matter what the cost. He is also bent on revenge against his old friend, Christian.

At the same time, Elena is Christian’s partner in business who also so happens to be his former dominant who taught him everything he knows about BDSM. After Elena discovers that Christian is in love with Anastasia, she does everything in her power to break them up.

Although producers have yet to cast anyone for the roles of Jack and Elena, a number of different names have been circulating. For Hyde, Nick Jonas and even Adam Levine have been mentioned, while Halle Berry and Kim Cattrall have been brought up for the role of Elena.

Fifty Shades Darker is set to hit theaters in February 2017.

[Image by Ian Gavan / Getty Images Entertainment]