Back in August, we reported that Universal Pictures' front runner to direct theFifty Shades of Greysequel,Fifty Shades Darker, isJames Foley, but negotiations hadn’t started quite yet. That report also revealed that the filmmaker is in the running to direct the third adaptation ofE.L. James' novel trilogy,Fifty Shades Freed, and that the studio was trying to decide whether or not they should shootFifty Shades Darkerand Fifty Shades Freed back-to-back. Today, we have a new report fromThe Wrap, revealing that James Foley has finalized his deal to direct both sequels, which will in fact be shot back-to-back.
AuthorE.L. James' husband, British writerNiall Leonard, signed on in April to write the screenplay adaptation forFifty Shades Darker. This new report reveals that he has also signed on to write Fifty Shades Freed.Fifty Shades of GreydirectorSam Taylor-Johnsonand writerKelly Marcelrevealed shortly after the first movie’s release that they were not coming back for the sequels. There were reports that the filmmaker and writer often clashed with authorE.L. James, who reportedly has a lot of creative control over the adaptations.
Universal has already setrelease datesfor both projects, withFifty Shades Darkerarriving on July 12, 2025, and Fifty Shades Freed arriving on June 27, 2025.Fifty Shades Darkerwill go up against 20th Century Fox’sThe Mountain Between Usand Warner Bros.‘The LEGO Batman Moviein February 2017. Fifty Shades Freed is going up against an untitled Warner Bros. animation project on August 11, 2025, and it also opens one week beforeBlack Pantheron August 23, 2025.
Fifty Shades of Greyfollowed the illicit affair struck up by young billionaireChristian Grey(Jamie Dornan), and naive college student Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson). Both stars are slated to reprise their roles, but it isn’t clear which supporting cast members will be back.Luke Grimes,Jennifer Ehle,Eloise Mumford,Rita Ora,Marcia Gay Harden,Max Martini, Rachel Skarsten andVictor Rasukrounded out the cast of the original blockbuster.
Fifty Shades of Greyearned $166.1 million domestically and $570.4 million worldwide during itsbox office run. The original adaptation was produced on just a $40 million budget, although it isn’t clear if the budget will be significantly increased for the sequels.James Foleyhasn’t directed a feature since the 2007 thrillerPerfect Stranger, but he has been working on the small screen, directing several episodes ofHouse of Cards,Wayward PinesandHannibal. On the feature side, the filmmaker is best known for At Close Range, Glengarry Glen Ross,Fearand The Chamber.
