Another Sneak Peek: Fifty Shades Darker

JAMIE DORNAN and DAKOTA JOHNSON return as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in “Fifty Shades Darker,” the second chapter based on the worldwide bestselling “Fifty Shades” phenomenon. Expanding upon events set in motion in 2015’s blockbuster film that grossed more than $560 million globally, the new installment arrives for Valentine’s Day and invites you to slip into something a shade darker.

Hitting theaters on February 10, 2017, “Fifty Shades Darker,” the next installment of the Fifty Shades series already continues the dark fairy tale that hit the world by storm, first with the book series and then the 2015 blockbuster film, “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

So how do you follow a hit with another hit? Fans of the series already knows that the next two books further explore the compelling romantic tango of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. The production team who translates these from the written word to the big screen wants each episode serving as a new experience.

The team felt it vital to satisfy diehard fans as well as draw in new audiences to the erotic, authentic pop-culture and entertainment events.

Producer Dana Brunetti discusses that it was long the intention to explore the decidedly dangerous turn E L James’ second novel takes: “Fifty Shades Darker is more of a thriller. We have suspense, stalking, helicopter crashes…all in addition to the theme of this couple and their particular type of romance. Suddenly, their relationship is confronted with many more obstacles than previously, a lot of them from Christian’s past life.”

E L James, who is rejoined by her fellow producers from 2015’s Fifty Shades of Grey, reflects on the title progression: “For the second novel, I knew I wanted to keep ‘Fifty Shades,’ because it was quite memorable. I thought, ‘Where are we going with this?’ Then, I knew that in the second book that we would discover what was behind Christian’s darkness. Hence, ‘Darker.’”

While Fifty Shades of Grey introduced movie audiences to billionaire entrepreneur Christian Grey and curious college student Anastasia Steele, the next two episodes would challenge everything audiences expected of the couple who had ended their relationship at the end of the first film.

As Christian opens up to Ana, we see he is carrying the traumas of his early childhood, which lends itself to why he struggles to relate to many people. He isn’t the most approachable of men, and he doesn’t know how to have a “normal” relationship, as much as he wants to. Still, he agrees to change for Ana’s sake. He wants to be the man she knows him to be, which is incredibly difficult for him, because of the horrors he endured in his childhood. As E L James reveals with the introduction of the dark Elena, all is not as it seems.

One of the major players in Fifty Shades of Grey is a woman who never actually appears—but the wake in which she has left Christian radiates outward and affects everyone in his life. In “Fifty Shades Darker,” the audience finally meets Elena Lincoln, who is played by Kim Bassinger.