Fifty Shades of Grey was a megaton box office hit, and so it's only natural that the sequel, Fifty Shades Darker, would push forward as quickly as humanly possible. There's money to be made, after all. But with that gigantically sucessful film has come a high price for those making it. Literally- it seems that stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, who play Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey in the film, are trying to negotiate for a hefty pay raise, now that it's been proven the franchise is a bona fide hit.
Apparently, both Johnson and Dornan made $250,000 each for starring in the first Fifty Shades. That's nothing to sneeze at, but in the world of Hollywood actors (especially actors who star in a film as popular as Fifty Shades was), that money's a drop in the bucket. So now the two actors are negotiating for a much larger piece of the pie, but some sources say it's likely that Johnson and Dornan won't get the pay raises they're seeking.
However, this may affect the film's planned release date. It's been revealed that Fifty Shades Darker may premiere in 2017... but that might not be the case if it takes too long for Dornan and Johnson to renegotiate their contracts. Especially so if the studio decides to try and strong-arm them into taking the same pay as before. There's no way that could possibly go over well. Worse, if Dornan and Johnson don't like the pay they're getting, it's possible they could ditch out on the franchise entirely (not the first time that's happened- remember what went down with Charlie Hunnam?). It seems very possible that a delay could hit Fifty Shades Darker. Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Fifty Shades Darker has no set release date, but Fifty Shades of Grey will premiere on DVD later this year.
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