Released in 2012, E.L. James’s Fifty Shades of Grey quickly became a best-selling novel that inspired a trilogy of books – indicating that not only did people enjoy Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, but they were happy to read about the main characters’ continued exploits. As a result, Universal Pictures adapted the first book to the big screen in 2015, tapping Nowhere Boy’s Sam Taylor-Johnson to helm the film, with James on board as a producer. Though the production of the Fifty Shades of Grey movie was plagued by disagreements between Taylor-Johnson and James and the film drew largely negative reviews, it still became one of the biggest box office hits of 2015 and earned an adaptation of the sequel story, Fifty Shades Darker.
Picking up where Fifty Shades of Grey left off, Fifty Shades Darker will continue to follow Ana (Dakota Johnson) and Christian (Jamie Dornan) as they attempt to make their relationship work despite their different views on romance. Universal has already debuted a trailer teaser and poster for the Fifty Shades of Grey sequel. Now, the studio has unveiled the first full trailer for Fifty Shades Darker, giving fans a look at what to expect from the followup film.
The first trailer for Fifty Shades Darker can be viewed above featuring both Dornan and Johnson back in their roles as Christian and Ana. After Taylor-Johnson left the Fifty Shades film trilogy, House of Cards director James Foley stepped in to helm Fifty Shades Darker from a script penned by James’s husband Niall Leonard. Fifty Shades Darker began production earlier this year, and it was planned to film back-to-back with the third movie in the series, Fifty Shades Freed.
In addition to Dornan and Johnson, Fifty Shades Darker will see the return of cast members Luke Grimes as Christian’s brother Elliot, Marcia Gay Harden as Christian’s mother Grace, Rita Ora as Christian’s sister Mia, Eloise Mumford as Ana’s best friend/roommate Kate Kavanagh, and Victor Rasuk as Ana’s friend José. The sequel will also introduce new characters Elena (Kim Basinger), Jake Hyde (Eric Johnson), Leila (Bella Heathcote), and Boyce Fox (Tyler Hoechlin).
Of course, with all the new talent coming into Fifty Shades Darker (both in front of and behind the camera), fans may be interested to know how it will affect the sequel as a followup to Fifty Shades of Grey – which, for the most part, struggled between getting the author’s vision correct and providing a compelling movie experience. Certainly, Fifty Shades of Grey seemed to be an argument for why the author isn’t always right when adapting their work to the big screen.
That said, Fifty Shades Darker may find more success in staying true to James’s novel since it will, at the very least, potentially earn the sequel more credit among fans. Plus, with new characters coming into the mix who provide more development for both Christian and Ana, Fifty Shades Darker may be able to build upon Fifty Shades of Grey in a manner that provides a compelling story for both book fans and casual moviegoers alike.
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Fifty Shades Darker will see theatrical release in the U.S. on February 10, 2017; Fifty Shades Freed will debut February 9, 2018.
