‘Fifty Shades Darker’ — From Full Frontal Nudity To New Faces — Everything We Know About The Anticipated Sequel

Production for Fifty Shades Darker is in full swing and fans can hardly wait until the film finally hits theaters in less than a year. From Jamie Dornan going full frontal to all the new faces that are set to grace the screen, there are a lot of things to look forward to in the coming sequel. While everyone stands by for more spoilers, here’s everything we know so far about the highly anticipated movie.

For starters, Movie Pilot is reporting that filming started back at the end of February, while Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson’s first shoot together happened last week. Currently, the main set of the movie is in Vancouver, though additional shooting locations are spread throughout the U.S. and Canada.

As far as the casting is concerned, the movie will see the return of Dornan and Johnson as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, respectively. Also returning for their roles in Fifty Shades Darker are Marcia Gay Harden as Grace, Rita Ora as Mia, Eloise Mumford as Kate, and Max Martini as Jason.

The new cast members that are set to join the project include Kim Basinger as Elena Lincoln or Mrs. Robinson, Eric Johnson as Jack Hyde, and Bella Heathcote as Leila. All three characters will play a prominent part in the new movie and come from Christian’s dark past.

In fact, Elena is the one who first taught Christian BDSM, while Leila is a former submissive partner who is now obsessed with getting back with the billionaire. For his part, Jack is Ana’s newest employer who tries his best to get with Christian’s lover. Naturally, this doesn’t sit well with Christian, who is expected to fight back for Ana’s love.

Although the majority of the cast from Fifty Shades of Grey is returning for the sequel, director Sam Taylor-Johnson will not be helming the new project. Instead, James Foley will direct both Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. Niall Leonard has also joined the team as one of the writers. Leonard is the husband of E.L. James.

Foley is known for his work on House of Cards, as he directed 12 episodes of the political drama. Foley’s other credits include Fear and Glengarry Glen Ross. With his past work in mind, Foley’s adaptation is expected to be vastly different than Taylor-Johnson’s. For most fans, this is a welcome change, especially considering how Fifty Shades of Grey was met with plenty of criticism for its lack of erotic content.

Meanwhile, the biggest question surrounding Fifty Shades Darker centers on Dornan’s full frontal. Although there has been a lot of speculation on the matter, with some reporting that producers offered Dornan a huge bonus if he showed everything, Dornan’s full frontal has not been confirmed. More than likely, fans will have to wait until the movie gets closer to its premiere to find out if Dornan bares all in the movie.

It might still be early in the production process, but Pop Sugar is reporting that producers have released the first official image of Fifty Shades Darker. The photo features a look at Dornan as Christian Grey wearing a tuxedo and black mask.

Along with the first official image, several behind the scenes photographs have made their way to Red Online. These images include some looks at Dornan in action alongside Johnson. By the look of their passion and intensity, it’s safe to say that the two actors had little trouble getting back into character.

Fifty Shades Darker is scheduled to open in theaters on February 10, 2017, while Fifty Shades Freed is expected to premiere a year later.

Tell us! Are you going to go see Fifty Shades Darker when it hits theaters? Let us know in the comments.

[Image via Universal]