Taylor-Johnson directed the film adaptation of E. L. James' best-selling erotic novel, "Fifty Shades of Grey", made by Universal Pictures and Focus Features. She was chosen from a list that included Angelina Jolie, Steven Soderbergh, Ryan Murphy, Joe Wright, and Gus Van Sant. Taylor-Johnson was in pole position to direct "Fifty Shades Darker" (the sequel to "Fifty Shades of Grey"), but decided to walk away from the much-discussed franchise after she was involved in a number of disagreements with author E.L. James. In June 2017, Taylor-Johnson said that she regretted directing the first film.