Despite all the delays and rumors surrounding the Fifty Shades of Grey sequel, it has now been confirmed that both Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed will be filmed back-to-back. According to Variety , this means that production will start on both movies sometime in early 2016, and that both movies actually might be released on time.
While the exact reasons behind the studio’s decision to film the movies at the same time are unknown, it very likely had something to do with money. In fact, according to Indie Wire , the studio will be saving a good amount of money, especially considering cast and crew member costs, by choosing to shoot at the same time.
Additionally, this approach saves on all the hassle producers would face getting the cast and crew members together for a third time. With a big budget film on the scale of Fifty Shades of Grey, this certainly is one of the factors that led to this decision.
What that in mind, fans can expect filming for Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed to begin sometime in early 2016. This should give filmmakers plenty of time to get the movies into theaters on their scheduled release dates of February 10, 2017 and February 9, 2018, respectively.
Now that the filmmakers have decided to finish both movies simultaneously, Realty Today is reporting that Dakota Johnson is ready to be featured in more sex scenes with Jamie Dornan . In fact, the actress stated that she has no qualms about anything filmmakers might want her to do, no matter how extreme things get in the story.
“I don’t have any problem in doing anything. The secret is, I have no shame,” the actress, who is set to reprise her role as Anastasia Steel, told Elle magazine in the interview.
Does this mean that even more sex scenes will be included in Fifty Shades Darker ? How willing are her co-stars going to be if they are featured in more sex scenes, as well?
Although it can’t be known for sure, Johnson’s comments seem to allude to the fact that there will be more erotic scenes in the movie than there was in Fifty Shades of Grey . Of course, this might not translate to the big screen as most of the nudity will likely be censored if the movie wants to stay in the “R” rating range.
Furthermore, it is not clear if Dornan shares the same sentiments as his co-star. In fact, Dornan and his wife are currently getting ready to have their second child, and his wife hasn’t seemed very thrilled about Dornan being included in a lot of sex scenes with Johnson. With Dornan set to become a family man in the coming months, he might not be too keen on showing more of himself on the big screens.
At this time, although it does appear fans can expect to see a little more sex out of the erotic drama, it is not clear if that will include Dornan. Even still, Johnson’s willingness to spice things up a little should go a long way in drawing more people to the film’s premiere.
Apart from the rumors of more sex, the sequel is also expected to be a little lighter in tone than the first movie. This was confirmed by Johnson’s recent comments about her desire to make viewers laugh, and how laughter is essential in a story like Fifty Shades of Grey . “If you can’t laugh during a movie like that, you’re f***ed,” Johnson stated. “Literally. You need to have something that everyone can relate to.”
Tell us! Do you think Fifty Shades Darker has any hope of coming out on time after all of the production delays? Let us know in the comments below.
[Image via Universal Pictures]