‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Picks A Director, But Is The Budget Causing More Delays?

Despite numerous delays in the production process, Fifty Shades Darker has finally selected a director for the Fifty Shades of Grey sequel. However, although having a director is a critical piece in getting production up and running, are there further delays ahead for the hit erotic franchise?

According to Movie Pilot, the decision to hire James Foley (House of Cards) as the new director for Fifty Shades Darker has been met with positive reactions given Foley’s past success.

“Because Foley has a proven track record for getting performances out of his casts, he seems a good choice here,” Mike Fleming Jr. stated. “Both Johnson and Dornan are relative newcomers playing roles that are far from easy.”

However, there may be another hitch in the plans to start production that involves an increase in pay for both Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, who are set to reprise their roles as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in the two upcoming movies.

The two stars are negotiating for a larger contract after receiving only $250,000 for the first movie. Although this sum might seem large, it is vastly small compared to the $569 million the film managed to gross in the box office.

However, both Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed are rumored to be filmed back to back because of budgeting concerns. If this is true, then any additional expenses might mean the films will be further delayed.

That being said, according to News Everyday, producers have booked locations with North Shore Studios and are planning on starting filming in February of 2016. While filming was originally scheduled to begin in January, this only puts the production behind a month. This should give the filmmakers plenty of time to get the films released on time.

Things should go relatively smoothly from here on out, unless any more delays crop up in the coming months. Along with budget concerns, another possibly source of delay might involve Dornan’s heavy acting schedule.

Dornan is set to finish his upcoming film, Anthropoid, around the same time production will be starting for Fifty Shades Darker, and is reportedly asking for some time off in between. The star apparently wants to spend some time with his wife and family before diving into another intense filming session.

All delays aside, Fifty Shades Darker is expected to hit theaters on February 10, 2017, while Fifty Shades Freed will premiere on February 9, 2018.

[Image Courtesy: Universal Studios]