14 DAY TRIAL // “Fifty Shades of Grey” opened to a $300 million (€264.6 million) strong worldwide weekend, and Universal Pictures is yet to greenlight and announce the release date of the sequel, “Fifty Shades Darker.” Of course, we already know it will be made because E.L. James, the author of the novels the film franchise is based on, confirmed it a while back.
In Hollywood, this is an unprecedented move, as studios rush to greenlight sequels the moment they have confirmation of profit with the original. Not that anyone expected “Fifty Shades” to flop.
So what does it mean? The delay in the announcement means creative issues are still being talked over: and fans can thank James herself for that, Variety reports.
E.L. James, the control freak
The production on the first film was anything but smooth sailing, as it became crystal clear in the months leading up to the theatrical release. E.L. James didn’t sell the rights to her bestselling trilogy until it was already a worldwide phenomenon, which offered her leverage in all negotiations - leverage she used not to get more money, but more control over the material.
James wanted the film to be as close to the book as possible, and Universal promised her that in the deal. Because of this, she fought with Kelly Marcel, with whom she worked on the script, and she infamously fought with Sam Taylor-Johnson, the director, because both wanted a tamer version of the story and a better cinematic experience.
James, on the other hand, wanted the film to be an exact replica of the book.
To get that, she also held up the creative process by objecting to every change the movie wanted to make, much to the producers’ displeasure.
It is believed that neither Taylor-Johnson nor Marcel will be returning for the sequel, so this is the time for James to push for even more control.
James wants to make screenwriting debut
Variety reports that the reason the sequel hasn’t been dated for release is that James is pressuring Universal into letting her write the script for it, which would make sure she would get only her vision on the big screen - and not a version of it, as told by another.
She will, of course, also retain her right to have the final say in the way the story is told, so if she gets the screenwriting credit, she will have virtually made sure that the next film is as faithful to the book as possible. And just as poorly written, we might add.
The “Fifty Shades” trilogy of novels isn’t derided only because it pretends to tackle BDSM when James clearly has no idea of that lifestyle, or because it depicts what is ultimately an abusive relationship between a man and a woman.
The number one reason why it’s derided is because it’s poorly written, laden with clichés and errors, and annoying repetitions. For example: “Oh my!” has 79 occurrences, “crap” appears 101 times, “Holy [expletive]” 172 times, and “Jeez” 82 times. Other words and phrases that are big with James: “gasp(s)” (45), “Whoa!” (13), “sharp intake of breath” (4), “murmur(s)” (207), “whisper(s)” (199), “mutter(s)” (51), “Inner goddess” (58).
Below, you will also find an excerpt of the elevator scene, ideal to showcase James’ unoriginal and stunted writing. This is the woman who wants to be in charge of the script for the second movie, so whatever was good in the first one is just as good as gone.
What will this mean for the release date?
If James gets her way and she is put in charge of the script, that means a delay in the release date for the script, because this will be her first time on the job. Universal will want to leave a considerable margin for revisions, which will push the probable production start date further back.
The aforementioned trade publication notes that production will start in the first quarter of 2016, at the very best, which puts the film for an estimated theatrical release for late 2016 or early 2017.
In other words, next year’s Valentine’s Day will be a Grey-less one. All things considered, this wouldn't be that bad.