Fifty Shades Darker (film) would be "more of a thriller." In July 2015, it was confirmed that singer Rita Ora would reprise her role, Mia Grey, in the sequel. On August 20, 2015, it was revealed by "Deadline" that James Foley was the front-runner to direct the sequel and third film "Fifty Shades Freed", while the studio was also eyeing other directors, including Rebecca Thomas, Mark Pellington, and Tanya Wexler, and talks with Foley had not yet begun. On November 12, 2015, TheWrap confirmed that Foley would direct both sequels, which would be shot back-to-back in 2016, with Michael De Luca and Brunetti returning
Andrew Shaffer one of the most prominent examples of the 'Great Depression chic' trend in 2009. Shaffer wrote "Fifty Shames of Earl Grey" under the pen name "Fanny Merkin." "Fifty Shames of Earl Grey" is a parody of E. L. James' popular trilogy, "Fifty Shades of Grey". Publishers Weekly suggested "The parody brings to life all of the arguments for and against 50 Shades, including the feminist concerns, portrayal of BDSM, roots in Twilight fan-fiction, and EL James's writing style." "Fifty Shames of Earl Grey" was a Goodreads choice 2012 semi-finalist. In 2015, Shaffer's tie-in book to the Syfy channel's Sharknado series