Fifty Shades Darker new project, and it was announced that Kim Basinger would play Elena Lincoln. Fifty Shades Darker Fifty Shades Darker is a 2012 erotic romance novel by British author E. L. James. It is the second installment in the "Fifty Shades" trilogy that traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a young business magnate, Christian Grey. The first and third volumes, "Fifty Shades of Grey" and "Fifty Shades Freed", were published in 2011 and 2012, respectively. The novel is published by Vintage Books and reached No. 1 on the "USA Today" best seller list. Three days after
Fifty Shades of Grey "Fifty Shades" trilogy as an example of viral marketing and of the rise in popularity of female erotica, attributing its success to the discreet nature of e-reading devices. Due to the heightened interest in the series, the license to the "Fifty Shades" trilogy was picked up by Vintage Books for re-release in a new and revised edition in April 2012. The attention that the series has garnered has also helped to spark a renewed interest in erotic literature. Many other erotic works quickly became best-sellers following "Fifty Shades" success, while other popular works, such as Anne Rice's "The Sleeping Beauty"