Fifty Shades of Grey (film) James' husband, Niall Leonard, was enlisted to write the script for the film's sequel. In the same month, at the 2015 Universal CinemaCon in Las Vegas, Universal announced the release dates of the sequels, with "Fifty Shades Darker" being released on February 10, 2017, and "Fifty Shades Freed" was released on February 9, 2018. However, the sequels did not see Sam Taylor-Johnson returning as director. On August 20, 2015, the U.S. "House of Cards" director James Foley was a frontrunner to direct the sequel. In November 2015, Universal Studios announced that both films will be shot back-to-back. A spoof version
Fifty Shades of Grey (film) a sadomasochistic affair. In an interview in June 2017, Taylor-Johnson later admitted to regretting directing the movie, claiming that her differences with E. L. James caused her to walk away from the series. In June 2012, the film company Smash Pictures announced its intent to film a pornographic version of the "Fifty Shades" trilogy, entitled "Fifty Shades of Grey: An XXX Adaptation". A release date of January 10, 2013, was announced. In November 2012, Universal, which had secured the "Fifty Shades "film rights, filed a lawsuit against Smash Pictures, stating that the film violated its copyright in that it was