"House of Cards" director James Foley is in negotiations to take the directorial baton for "Fifty Shades Darker". The second installment of the BDSM-themed franchise will reportedly be filmed simultaneously with "Fifty Shades Freed" due to budget concerns. It is rumored to start filming on New Year for a February 2017 release.
After months with no director on board, the highly anticipated sequel to this year's "Fifty Shades of Grey" may have finally found its helmer. According to Entertainment Weekly, the franchise is currently negotiating James Foley to do the directorial duties for "Fifty Shades Darker". The outlet's sources claims that the 61-year-old filmmaker is currently the frontrunner for the job, though no deals have been finalized yet.
As per Design n Trend, Foley most recently directed 12 episodes of the Netflix series "House of Cards". His latest theatrical credit is from the Haley Berry and Bruce Willis thriller "Perfect Stranger" which debuted last 2007. However, he is more prominent for his work on the 1992 film adaptation of the Tony-winning play "Glengarry Glen Ross". If confirmed, Foley will sub in for Sam Taylor-Johnson who abandoned the project in March -a month after her directed "Fifty Shades of Grey" premiered.
Meanwhile, Latin Post reports that "Fifty Shades Darker" may be filmed simultaneously with the franchise's next installment, "Fifty Shades Freed". This is reportedly due to the production company's financial concerns. It was noted that this approach is similar to Warner Bros' adaptation of "The Hobbit" and "The Lord of the Rings" which both commenced its production at the same time to limit the cost. The same went for the final two "Pirate of the Carribeans" and "Matrix" movies. Universal Pictures is yet to confirm this matter though.
As of late, the studio has not given an exact production date to "Fifty Shades Darker" as well. But rumor has it that it will start filming this January for a February 10, 2017 release. "Fifty Shades Freed" on the other hand, is scheduled to open in cinemas on February 9, 2018.
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