Is "Fifty Shades Darker" set to be cancelled? Rumors have it that the upcoming sequel of the highlycontroversial 2015 erotic-romance drama movie adaptation of E.L. James' "Fifty Shades of Grey" may experience some production setbacks due to some budget issues, particularly over the lead stars' salaries.
While "Fifty Shades Darker" seems to be ready to go into production, some issues that may cause some delay have emerged. According to Inquisitr, budget issues are the latest concerns of the producers that may cause further postponements ahead of the upcoming "Fifty Shades" installment.
Two reasons cited were Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson's much larger salary demands. The lead stars, who play the roles of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele respectively, are allegedly demanding for a 7-figure payout to compensate for the success of its predecessor in the box office and ensuing demand for more erotic scenes. In the first film, Dornan and Johnson were only paid $250,000. However, the movie grossed over $550 million globally, Movie News Guide noted.
Unfortunately, the producers are having a hard time dealing with Dornan and Johnson's request. Despite the fact that "Fifty Shades Darker" will likely to gross just as much as its first installment, producer Dana Brunetti is reportedly having a difficult time with the salary increase, Youth Health Magazine noted.
Another cause of delayed production is the change of director. The change from Sam Taylor-Johnson to the newly chosen director James Foley has halted the production, News Everyday has learned. Interestingly, though Dornan and Johnson will be doing a lot of erotic scenes in front of a new director, Johnson revealed that she's quite excited.
"It's quite exciting," Johnson told Empire, as per Harper's Bazaar. "There was a moment of being afraid, because I didn't know what it was going to be like. I had an experience with Sam [Taylor-Johnson] and then that all went away. Now I'm excited. I think James is a talented filmmaker. How often do you get to reconvene with the same people and have a different spin?"
The delay of the "Fifty Shades Darker" production was also rumored to be due to Dornan's wife Amelia Warner and his daughter. Rumors have it that Warner was uncomfortable with her husband's intimate scenes with Johnson. Dornan, on the other hand, wanted to spend more quality time with his family and enjoy the moments of being a dad.
Meanwhile, fans have long wondered who will play the role of Jack Hyde in "Fifty Shades Darker." While Henry Cavill was previously reported to play the role but confirmed that he won't, Latinos Post revealed that Ian Somerhalder and Theo James were rumored to be vying for the spot. Since both of the actors have exuded a mysterious and dark personality on their respective roles in "Vampire Diaries" and "Divergent," it made them a good choice for Hyde's role.
While all of these are just rumors for causing the delay in "Fifty Shades Darker" production, the release date, which is on Feb. 10, 2017, has remained unchanged.
For more "Fifty Shades Darker" news, read here.
