Fifty Shades of Grey and its subsequent sequels are among Netflix’s notable sexually explicit films right now. I was watching the third movie recently and I was reminded of the fervor online when series lead Jamie Dornan didn’t go full-frontal nude. So I sleuthed around to answer the question fans may still be wondering: Was the Christian Grey actor really going to be paid more to show off his man parts in the trilogy?

The Full-Frontal Nudity Rumor And What Really Happened

Thank goodness I wasn’t the only one wondering about this. Back in the day, a rumor ran around the Fifty Shades cast would be paid more to go fully nude. Like significantly more. I'm talking allegedly getting paid $1.5 million more to see Christian Grey in full glory. This would have meant Jamie Dornan would have left the dreaded “wee bag” in the dressing room on at least one particular day of filming, but despite rumors coming out ahead of not just Fifty Shades of Grey but also Fifty Shades Freed, it never happened. Here’s why.

When asked about the prospect, the actor (who is funny in real life and not just in Barb and Star go to Vista Del Mar) joked the $1.5 million that was listed was actually quite low. But then he revealed the real truth about the rumors, telling Elle:

There’s a reason the Fifty Shades movies never took the extra step cut out scenes and be less graphic than E.L. James novels. They “wanted to appeal to as wide an audience as possible.”

Why Jamie Dornan And Dakota Johnson Only Got Semi-Nude For Fifty Shades

Speaking further on the subject, the actor got candid about his memories from the time filming as Christian Grey. He spoke about showing off his butt in the process and why he feels it makes sense the movies never took things a step further.

It’s worth pointing out, too, that at the time the first movie was coming together, Fifty Shades of Grey was largely filming in order to avoid an NC-17 rating. Ultimately that first movie and its subsequent sequels would be Rated R by the MPAA. At the time, Jamie Dornan also confirmed there were procedures in place to avoid full frontal, noting in the same interview years ago that his contract avoided it, though that doesn’t necessarily mean he was opposed to the idea. Contractually, it just wasn't going to happen.

So, if you’ve been operating off the assumption Jamie Dornan turned down money to appear fully nude in the Fifty Shades movies, it's a little more complicated then that. Still, who knows if they would have made different choices about nudity if all of these considerations hadn’t been in place?

Colleen Hoover’s book It Ends With Us has been the subject of high praise and TikTok virality as well as harsh criticism. Now, with the upcoming film adaptation of the bestselling novel set to premiere on the 2024 movie schedule, a lot of that mixed discourse is being brought back into the spotlight. So, the author is opening up about how she handles the negative critics, and what she’s learned from 50 Shades of Grey author E.L. James when it comes to doing just that.

It Ends With Us will be released in theaters on August 9, and in the time since it was initially announced, it’s been a hot topic of debate. From backlash about how the book depicts domestic violence and the way it's marketed to people taking issue with the casting of Blake Lively, seeing as the character she plays in the book is 23 while she is 36, the harsh criticisms run the gamut. However, while chatting with People, Hoover explained how she handles it and the helpful tips she's learned from 50 Shades author E.L. James:

As I’m sure you remember, the reviews for 50 Shades of Grey weren’t exactly good, and there are many who do not like the movies or the books at all. However, as Hoover noted, her friend and fellow author focuses on the positive.

Earlier in the story, the It Starts With Us author explained that she won’t leave social media, even though she witnesses a lot of negative comments, because there’s also so much positivity there. She likes to interact with fans of her work, and she appreciates their love. To that point, she addressed both the positive and negative feedback she gets, saying:

After going viral on TikTok, becoming a bestseller and promoting an immense amount of discussion online, it will be interesting to see how people who are and are not familiar with the book react to the movie. Already, Blake Lively has addressed nervous fans, and that has helped, and Hoover has spoken highly about the team behind the adaptation. With all that in mind, the author told the outlet:

Now, it will be interesting to see how the film is received from both lovers and critics of the book.

Book-to-screen adaptations always draw debate, especially when it comes to changes made to a given story. However, the It Ends With Us discourse is complex and has been going on for a long time. So, I imagine everything that has been spoken about will be put in the spotlight again when the film comes out.

Overall, though, it sounds like Colleen Hoover is ready for it thanks to advice from E.L. James and her own experience as an author.

You’ll be able to see It Ends With Us in theaters starting August 9.

Fifty Shades Of Grey was the best-selling book of the past decade, spawning a series of three Fifty movies that made more than a billion dollars at the box office. Fans can’t get enough of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, but if you were to ask author E.L. James herself, she was getting a little tired of her misunderstood hero. In fact she recently shared a brutally honest take on Mr. Grey, and it checks out. 

OK,  maybe she is more than a little tired. Citing that she “wanted a break from Christian and Ana” as one of the reasons she switched to new characters Maxim and Alessia after Fifty Shades Freed, James recently admitted that her infamous leading man is “exhausting.”  His red room scenes may be fun to watch on the big screen, but there’s a lot to unpack when you are one of the creative people on the project. 

Look, I get it. Part of the appeal of Fifty Shades is that it allows its audience to have darker and more outside-the-box fantasies about relationships and bedroom interactions. But if you are the person writing those scenes -- or performing them on the big screen -- it's not always so fun to be dealing with sometimes emotionally manipulative back and forth. So James' comments check out, and they are honestly similar to what Jamie Dornan has said about playing Christian Grey in the past. 

In the interview with Today about her famous film and book characters, the popular creator also shared that she has always envisioned her famous characters as having taken a page from popular fairytales (or Disney movies if you look at them that way). She noted Ana and Christian is the Beauty and the Beast narrative while her newer characters are a little more tame.

Christian Grey is a character who was tormented by his early childhood like the Beast was tormented by his "curse." He channeled that pain into naughty bedroom behavior, but he can still be quite controlling and often difficult for Ana to deal with. In fact, one of the major differences between the Fifty Shades of Grey book and movie is how they make Christian less of a stalker. And while she is typically pretty patient when it comes to the gig of being Ms. Grey, Alessia and Maxim don’t have the same background trauma to deal with. Instead, they’re dealing with mafia issues and more while Alessia is a part of a rags to riches narrative (though that's not her motivation), like Cinderella. 

Like Fifty Shades of Grey, The Mister’s rights have already been snapped up by the major studios, though a movie has not moved forward yet. After E.L. James admitted studios were circling her Maxim book in 2019, The Mister was picked up by Universal in 2020, who also optioned the rights to the Fifty movies. 

The sequel to that book The Mistress just hit shelves this month, and I almost wonder if this might be a trilogy as well. If that's true, it may have made sense to wait at least for the second book in the trilogy to come out before greenlighting another series of movies so the studio didn't end up with a Game of Thrones situation on its hands. 

We'll have to wait and see, but there are doubtless plenty of fans hoping to see Alessia and Maxim on the big screen... or at the very least on the list of sexually explicit Netflix movies. In the meantime, you can always catch up on the Fifty Shades movies streaming. 

Can you believe it’s been five years since the conclusion of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy opened in theaters? Fifty Shades Freed had us say goodbye to Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele as they embarked on a new life together. Fans of the book had the chance to see its memorable wedding scene and, of course, Christian’s abs. To further commemorate Fifty Shades Freed’s anniversary, the book’s author, E.L. James, shared a behind-the-scenes photo that will send you genuine nostalgia feels.

Fifty Shades Freed showed Christian and Anastasia getting married and ready to share a life together full of love, as well as plenty of sexy moments. But their happiness was threatened by Anastasia’s former boss, who began to stalk her. E.L. James posted a behind-the-scenes cool throwback wedding photo on Instagram that she took on the set of the film adaptation with a reminder of its five-year anniversary.

That really is a beautiful photo. It was a breath of fresh air to see Christian and Anastasia tie the knot considering the franchise started with Christian not wanting to get emotionally attached to Ana despite his growing feelings for her. Here's a fun fact for you about how Anastasia’s wedding dress came together - it was a collaboration between costume designer Shay Cunliffe and the film’s female lead, Dakota Johnson. They were searching for a look that would make Anastasia sexy, and modern, but classy at the same time. With just one version of the costume made, this dress was perfect for the momentous occasion. While the wedding scene may have looked beautiful and heartwarming to some, Christian Grey’s Jamie Dornan thought it was so silly to give vows to someone you’re not actually getting married to, but they do call it acting for a reason.

Certainly, though, you know it’s not a Fifty Shades of Grey movie without its steamy sex scenes. However, these sensual moments were filled with challenges. They had to be filmed back-to-back due to the scenes taking place in the same locations, like the Red Room, the boat house, the shower and more. It also doesn’t help that Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed were filmed simultaneously, so it was best to knock those sex scenes out of the way. The hardest sex scene for Dakota Johnson was when she was blindfolded with her hands and legs handcuffed towards a gate feeling like her senses were robbed from her. Luckily, the two stars were able to work like a team through these uncomfortable situations, like how Johnson gave Dornan advice on a sexy way of taking off a woman’s panties. With them both being in the same boat awkwardly performing these BDSM scenes, it helps to be on the same wavelength as one another.

Many uncomfortable BDSM scenes later, it is still very hard to say farewell to a franchise you worked on for three years with the same cast and crew. When the Irish actor said goodbye to Christian Grey, he had a mixed reaction about leaving behind his beloved cast and crew but also felt it was nice that the romance franchise has finally concluded. This makes me wonder if he kept any of the “wee-bags” that he had to wear from Fifty Shades Freed as a souvenir once filming was over. 

Five years later and Fifty Shades Freed is still just as memorable as when it first premiered in theaters back in 2018. Check out our 2023 movie releases so you can follow the future film endeavors of Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson. 

You know a fictional character has reached a new level of popularity when fans are posting about their birthdays. This can be said about protagonists such as The Hunger Games’ Katniss Everdeen and Harry Potter, but today it’s all about Fifty Shades of Grey’s Christian Grey. The character Jamie Dornan played in the steamy trilogy is being celebrated all over social media because it’s a great day to dream about the E.L. James leading man.

Per the books, Christian Grey was born on June 18, 1983, making him fictionally 38 years old on Friday. A few years after the end of Fifty Shades Freed, we’d imagine the heartthrob character is happily married and enjoying his life as a family man alongside Anastasia Steele and their two kids, Teddy and Phoebe. Of course, fans took the special date to remember the character through Jamie Dornan-centric posts like this:

This October marks the eight-year anniversary since Jamie Dornan was cast to play Christian Grey, after Charlie Hunnam gave up the role alongside Dakota Johnson. The stars would go on to adapt the entire Fifty Shades trilogy before going on to different projects with the 2018 conclusion. Fans are starry eyed about his portrayal for Christian’s birthday:

Jamie Dornan brought to life the protagonist of E.L. James best-selling series that explored the relationship between Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, who becomes his next submissive in his BDSM lifestyle. Steele, who is initially sexually inexperienced, makes for a different kind of match for Christian that leads to the pair unexpectedly falling in love. He’s an electrifying character who fans couldn’t forget on his big day:

Most recently, E.L. James has continued to explore Christian Grey through novels written from his perspective instead of Anastasia Steele’s. In 2015, she released Grey, which retold the first book before Darker’s release in 2017 and most recently with Freed, which came out at the top of this month. Here’s another Twitter tribute for Christian Grey:

Christian Grey was originally inspired by Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga, since the book itself began as Twilight fan fiction of Edward and Bella’s vampire romance. Both franchises have certainly had staying power in pop culture, and E.L. James is celebrating the date as well:

Following his time as Christian Grey, Jamie Dornan has been taking on some different roles, such as alongside Emily Blunt in Wild Mountain Thyme, popping up in the hilarious Barb and Star Go To Del Mar, as well as starring in an upcoming show called The Tourist. Dakota Johnson, on the other hand, is returning to romance with a role in the Jane Austen adaptation of Persuasion with Henry Golding. Happy birthday, Christian Grey!

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The time has finally come for Fifty Shades of Grey fans. More than five years after E.L. James embarked upon the retelling of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey’s love story through a series of books from the wealthy entrepreneur’s perspective we are finally reaching the end of the epic love story. In fact, we've learned when the third book in this retelling, Freed: Fifty Shades Freed, is going to be released.

E.L. James herself shared the news in a decadent post cordially inviting her readers to snap up this retelling of one of the most popular books of the century. She noted that she is “delighted” to share the first look at the book with readers, as well as its release date. So when can you get a copy of Freed? Well, starting on June 1, 2021.

Amusingly, Fifty Shades movies actor Eric Johnson actually responded on E.L. James’ post to joke about how his character may have caused some of the issues in Freed the author’s description of the upcoming book alludes to. He noted, ‘Rivalries and resentments hmmm?’ James responded back, noting ‘Yep.’ (As a sidebar, Eric Johnson’s own Instagram profile delightfully sports a nod to his Fifty Shades baddie with the tagline: "Playing 50 shades of bad guys since ‘91.")

With the release of Freed, E.L. James will have wrapped up her trilogy from Christian Grey’s perspective. Her other two books following this premise, Grey and Darker, released in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

E.L. James did play a role in getting the three Fifty Shades movies made for the big screen, so her familiar exchange with Johnson isn’t totally unprecedented here. Unfortunately, while we won’t be seeing more of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele on the big screen, E.L. James has published another book outside of her famous trilogies. That book, The Mister, also had its movie rights snapped up.

In fact, Universal, the studio that also distributed the Fifty Shades movies, is all about bringing The Mister to the big screen as well. It’s hard telling when that will get off the ground with the absolute glut of movie projects still expected to be rolled out over the next year plus and more already in production with safety protocols. But given the Easter egg connection between the two books leading to them being in the same universe, I’d say there’s a lot to look forward to on the horizon for the fanbase.

Starting, of course, with the release of Freed. If Freed: Fifty Shades Freed is right up your alley, the even better news outside of E.L. James’ announcement is that the book is already available for pre-order. So, if you don’t want to stress about waiting until June to purchase your copy, you can pre-order it now on Amazon or anywhere else books are sold.

Fifty Shades of Grey has a very dedicated fanbase, one that has followed Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele from the page to the big screen. However, despite the love from the fans, the critics have not been as kind to the Fifty Shades franchise, and lead Jamie Dornan recently revealed one particularly brutal review that has stuck with him over the years.

The critics haven’t always been super kind to Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker or Fifty Shades Freed. However, in general I’d say this has more to do with the plot of the films than the acting from Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, who have both gone on to more critically acclaimed things. Regardless, in a recent interview, Jamie Dornan revealed one particularly brutal review was all about his performance, though he says he doesn’t “entirely disagree.”

The above comments to Variety came as part of his press for Wild Mountain Thyme but I went ahead and did a little sleuthing and believe I found the review in question, which comes from The Diva Review, who did literally compare Christian Grey to oatmeal when the first flick came out.

I personally thought the comment was going to be more of the “stodgy” or “mushy” variety when oatmeal was compared to Christian Grey as a character, but I can certainly see why Jamie Dornan found it to be a memorable one-liner. Brutal.

These days, Jamie Dornan is out and about working on a lot of indie films. While Fifty Shades has opened a lot of doors for the actor to become a household name and take paths that are more akin to what he really wants to be doing and less akin to being shirtless eye candy, Dornan still understands the franchise was the path to help get him there. He’s respectful about his time with Dakota Johnson on the big screen yet says he is looking forward to more “diverse and interesting work.”

Touching again on the critics, Jamie Dornan also just talked about what it was like to be Christian Grey in the box office monsters that were the Fifty Shades films. He knew going into Fifty Shades of Grey exactly what he was in for, but says that it doesn’t make the feelings any less “strange.”

Though Jamie Dornan says he can’t imagine playing a character for “multiple, multiple films” again, I personally wouldn’t fully close the door to that idea. Robert Pattinson, for example, took a similar path in the indie world after his big role in Twilight and ultimately did join another big budget movie with Matt Reeves’ The Batman, a movie expected to spawn sequels. So, never say never.

Meanwhile, you can catch Jamie Dornan back in a romantic role opposite Emily Blunt when Wild Mountain Thyme premieres on December 11. Or keep your eyes peeled for the latest from E.L. James’ mind with The Mister movie updates.

E.L. James is an author with a popular franchise, Fifty Shades, and a popular one-off bestseller, The Mister, under her belt. She’s known for writing provocative fantasy, but at the end of the day the storyteller may have mastered scenes set in the red room, but she’s still grappling with why Fifty Shades Of Grey has been so popular.

Admitting she likes it when “things get steamy,” E.L. James was candid in an interview with ET about her place in the literary world and how she’s only one of many voices writing in her genre. She talked a little bit about Fifty Shades’ trajectory on both page and screen, noting that while the average person might find Christian Grey and Ana Steele’s behavior to be quite risqué, those genre readers should be very used to their sexual dynamic. She noted:

I appreciate E.L. James’ modesty here, but her books are behemoths and have far outsold the average erotic romance. In fact, last year, Fifty Shades Of Grey was marked down as the most popular book of the last decade. It outsold the likes of The Hunger Games and The Help, which were the fourth and fifth bestselling books of the decade. Number 2 and 3? Well, those spots went to Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.

There’s been a lot of speculation over the years about why Fifty Shades has resonated so strongly with the fanbase. Sometimes a project will develop a small fanbase and then fan out due to good marketing or strong word of mouth, as happened with Schitt’s Creek in its later seasons on TV. But Fifty Shades of Grey also may have benefited from coming after Twilight but being based on the formula of that vampire series. Also true is the fact that BDSM fiction had not been widely marketed in the way Fifty Shades has been, at least at the time of its release.

Whatever the reason, the “big naked franchise” brought a lot of attention to E.L. James. Her subsequent book The Mister also landed some interest from movies studios and back in February we learned that Universal had signed on the dotted line to potentially bring the other book to the big screen. There hasn’t been a ton of public traction on that project in the months since, but as we know a lot of movie projects are in some stage of limbo right now as the global pandemic still rears its ugly head.

We’ll keep you posted if The Mister moves forward or if the author ever gets around to that fourth Fifty book. Meanwhile, E.L. James also said she “never considered Fifty Shades to be a BDSM book” in the same interview, which is a comment that's worth chewing on a little. It’s usually interesting to hear from an author’s point of view on a popular subject and in this case that certainly holds true.

Lots of fans are obsessed with Christian Grey, the smoldering and complex male love interest in E.L. James’ series of popular novels. Yet if you asked Fifty Shades of Grey’s Dakota Johnson, it appears she prefers the realness of her co-star Jamie Dornan to the intense nature of the character he plays on the big screen. In fact, it turns out Jamie Dornan’s pretty funny.

Apparently, Dakota Johnson is more of a lighthearted person by nature and she recently revealed during an episode of Comedy Central’s “Would You Rather” that she would rather spend time with Jamie Dornan over Christian Grey, if all things were equal, noting,

Of course, Jamie Dornan also has the added pro of being a real life person with his own needs, wants and personal life, while Christian Grey is a fantastical character concocted on the page, so Dornan technically has that going for him to. I guess what we should really take from this is that Dakota Johnson prefers realness to fantasy.

In fact, though, Jamie Dornan is pretty fun. He recently joined social media where he has been sharing his isolation life with his young daughters, which involves funny videos like him riding a tiny bike in the driveway

Previously, Dakota Johnson has spoken out about her working relationship with Jamie Dornan, noting she feels the only reason Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed works is because the two actors were able to cut loose and be goofy on the set together.

At the end of the day, the Fifty Shades movies made over a billion dollars at the box office and have landed a worldwide fanbase. Another book from E.L. James easily nabbed movie rights thanks to the success of these films, too. It’s hard to tell if the success is mostly because people love the characters E.L. James created or if Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan really sold the chemistry onscreen, thus nabbing a wider audience. Probably a little bit of both is the right answer. While one can dream about being with a Christian Grey, it looks like the Jamie Dornan’s of the world win the "would you rather" game.

You can currently catch Dakota Johnson in The High Note opposite Tracee Ellis Ross, currently out on Video On Demand. Or see what else is coming to theaters – eventually – with our full schedule.

E.L. James already has a successful trio of producer credits under her belt, but the author of Fifty Shades of Grey and The Mister won’t be stopping there. This week, we learned The Mister has been optioned by Universal for a big screen movie release. Of course, E.L. James took a little time to celebrate the news.

Although we don’t have details about The Mister’s script or cast yet, I can tell you that E.L. James definitely took a little time to celebrate. And while we’re a little early in the year/weather cyle for Rosé All Day, a brut rosé is generally a great idea for any celebratory moment. Take a look.

E.L. James is currently hard at work on another installment in the Fifty Shades series that should complete the collection of Christian Grey perspective books. (An interesting choice given she has also spoken out about wanting to get away from the Fifty characters, which The Mister allowed her to do.) She posted about getting started on that book on Valentine’s Day, although she mentioned to readers it “will be a while” before that project comes out.

E.L. James should be having a busy year, however. There’s the work on Fifty Shades content. Then, the prominent author will also be a producer on The Mister as it is coming together. She also has a series of tour dates that are coming up this spring. All in all, I’d say there’s a lot to celebrate.

In case you are interested in also celebrating in style, that bottle of brut she purchased is not as expensive as you might guess. It’s also currently available at Camel Valley, running at £29.95, which is $38.72. So, yeah, you won’t find it in the bargain bin, but if you want to celebrate like your favorite author, you can totally make it happen.

Meanwhile, my follow-up question mainly is: Who will Universal find to play Maxim Trevelyan and Alessia Demachi, the protagonists in The Mister? I firmly believe one of the reasons the Fifty Shades movies did well was because they really nailed the casting. Also, I kind of want to know how deep E.L. James got into that bottle of rosé yesterday, but perhaps that’s a mystery better left unsolved.

The news about The Mister should not come as a huge shock for in-the-know fans. Around the time of the book’s release, the idea was already being bandied about that it could be made into the movie. We previously wrote there was interest in the book right after its release and it took a bidding war for Universal to acquire the rights.

Now, we just need to patiently wait until this all comes together and with a little luck and some fairy dust I’m hoping we’ll see The Mister come to life on the big screen sooner rather than later. As I’m an impatient person, however, I may need to join E.L. James on the rosé train while I wait.

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Well, the inevitable has finally happened. After a bit of a bidding war, Universal has landed the rights to that brand-spanking new book from E.L. James The Mister. That’s a win for a Universal and a win for mankind, or at least the womenkind who are huge fans of the author’s works. Universal and E.L. James also previously teamed up for Fifty Shades of Grey and its two subsequent sequels.

News broke this week that The Mister’s movie rights have been optioned by Universal and this time around E.L. James will also be involved as a producer. Variety mentioned the bidding war, noting that Universal has different persons in charge this time around. So while Donna Langley championed the Fifty Shades movies, Sara Scott and Lexi Barta will be the people on point for The Mister. There may be different ladies involved, but the studio did enough to entice James to sign on the dotted line, much like Christian and Ana's famous contract.

It's worth noting that the last three movies E.L. James and Universal made together ended up making over a billion dollars worldwide. (And were really lucrative for those involved too.) Please note this is all three movies’ box office intake combined together; I’m not trying to state that each movie made a billion all by themselves. Fifty Shades was a popular movie series but not Marvel popular after all.

The same isn’t true of the books, as Fifty Shades of Grey was recently noted as the most popular book of the last decade. Take that comic books!

Still, the new book spent nine months on the New York Times bestseller list and we’ve been writing for months about the possibility of The Mister being made into a movie. Back in April of last year, the author was already admitting there were interested parties. So, really, this project was going to happen. We just didn't know when or where and now we have half those answers.

What I find most interesting about The Mister book is that although it has a totally different premise than Fifty Shades of Grey, it does have a connection to E.L. James’ popular series. In fact, lead character Maxim Trevelyan shares a last name with Christian Grey’s adopted mother Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey.

So, we know The Mister and Fifty Shades of Grey are set in the same universe. Now, I just need some sort of party scene where Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey cameo. Is that too much to ask? I hope not.

There’s no word on when The Mister movie will get off of the ground. I really liked how the Fifty Shades movies were always timed around Valentine’s Day, however, so maybe that will be the goal this time around as well. First, though, the studio needs a script and needs to start getting a cast together for the upcoming movie.

Once there’s some real traction, we’ll keep the updates coming fast and furiously. Luckily, for now, there’s always the fictional version to rely upon and those are easy and fairly cheap to get your hands on.

E.L. James is absolutely best known as The Fifty Shades of Grey author, which is a big deal considering the book was recently announced as the most popular title of the last decade. But when you are the author of the biggest book in the past 10 years, it can be a little difficult to move beyond the characters.

It’s something E.L. James did this year with The Mister, a story she had actually concocted before she began writing the fanfiction that eventually became Fifty Shades of Grey. However, along with that book release, she reported she was “nervous” about moving on from Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, noting,

In fact, E.L. James did spend a lot of time with Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. She worked on fanfiction that later became Fifty Shades of Grey for years before the first book’s publication and the fanfiction was initially posted to the interwebs in 2009. In 2011 the aforementioned first book was published. Then between 2011 and 2017, James published more stories following the characters, the last couple were retellings from Christian’s point of view called Grey and Darker.

In between, she also served as a producer for the movies based on the books and even cameoed in 2018’s Book Club, about a group of women reading the popular BDSM romance title. Fifty Shades of Grey may have been the most popular book of the last decade, but the franchise also took a decade or more to build.

The incredible popularity of the universe she built is still a “shock” to E.L. James, as she also mentioned to The Independent in the interview.

What the hell happened is she sold a ton of books and then her new book The Mister also sold a ton of books, to the point where the studios have already been circling regarding the movie rights. A The Mister movie hasn’t been greenlighted yet, but it will be interesting to see if she is caught up in the circus whirlwind of this book to movie cycle for a while yet.

In the meantime, we’ve yet to hear what E.L. James has coming yet, although the popular author has previously said she has an idea for a fourth Fifty Shades book, should the opportunity arise. So, she’s saying “there’s a chance!”

CinemaBlend will be sure to keep you updated every step of the way. In the meantime, that Valentine’s Day window when the new Fifty-related releases used to come out is coming up shortly, so now is the perfect time for a rewatch. Or, if you are looking for something romantic to soothe your soul since there's no new Jamie Dornan starrer this February, take a look at our full schedule to peruse the romances coming up.

We're nearing the end of another decade, and with that sort of milestone always comes a variety of best lists to remind us of the things we enjoyed over the past 10 years. Now we know that a certain BDSM-focused book series was tops when it comes to best-selling books of the decade, which is a mighty impressive feat for something that started as dirty Twilight fan fiction. That's right, folks. E.L. James' Fifty Shades of Grey is the top book of the decade.

In fact, Fifty Shades of Grey was so popular among readers that the good news for E.L. James doesn't end there. The two sequels she penned for the sexytime-filled novel, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, actually round out the top three for best-selling books of the decade. According to The NPD Group (via NBC News), a market research company which has collected data on the decade's book sales, from 2011 through 2019, Fifty Shades of Grey sold 15.2 million copies, while Fifty Shades Darker hit 10.4 million copies sold and Fifty Shades Freed came in with 9.3 million editions sold.

Somewhere, E.L. James is celebrating the fact that no one can spank her now...I know that's terrible, you guys, but I had to.

Those numbers mean that the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy managed to sell almost 35 million copies in print and e-book form this decade, so, good on E.L. James for taking fan fiction to brand new heights. James had originally published the story on several sites devoted to fan fiction, and used the names of the title characters from Twilight, but after getting negative comments about the seriously sexy nature of her work, she removed them, changed the names and then put the stories on her own website.

As we all know, just because some people complain about stories that are sexually charged, it doesn't mean that many others won't find it to be just what they're looking for, and the phenomenon that is Fifty Shades of Grey was born. The books, sometimes dubbed "mommy porn" because of the main demographic reading the books, were so popular that Hollywood got right on that money train and adapted them.

Fifty Shades of Grey, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan as lead characters Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, debuted on February 13, 2015, just in time for everyone who was looking for something naughty to watch at their local multiplex for Valentine's Day. And, people came out for it, either to see one of their favorite books come to life, or just to see what all the fuss was about. The whole franchise (with Fifty Shades Darker releasing in 2017 and Fifty Shades Freed coming a year later) made over $1.3 billion worldwide, mostly-awful reviews be damned.

E.L. James had such a horrible time working on that first film with director Sam Taylor-Johnson that she wrote a chapter of her, now very famous, book from Christian's point of view to deal with the stress and keep her head in the game. That led to James rewriting the whole series from his perspective, and while the first retelling, Grey, got some very bad reviews, it sold 1 million copies in its first week of release.

E.L. James is stuffing a wad of hundred dollar bills down somebody's throat right now...and they love it.

If you missed out on the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy the first time around, they're still available on a variety of streaming services. For all the, potentially dirty, movies coming out next year, be sure to check out our 2020 new movie release guide!

E.L. James is an author who is happy to talk about the process of writing. We know, for example that her Fifty Shades books started as Twilight fan fiction and that her new book The Mister started coming together even before Fifty Shades of Grey. Recently, the author also revealed that her work on the Fifty Shades of Grey movie is what caused the Fifty Shades of Grey as told by Christian to come together.

So, how did this come about? Apparently, E.L. James’ stress on the set of Fifty Shades of Grey led to her writing the chapter from Christian's point of view that would go into Fifty Shades Freed. That led to a more extensive writing project, and the rest is history. Per the author,

The fact that director Sam Taylor-Johnson and E.L. James did not have the best relationship has been known for a while. Taylor-Johnson previously talked about how she and the author were not on the same wavelength, noting,

However, E.L. James has been less blunt about her experience during the first movie in the trilogy, at least until now. In her interview with AZ Central, she touches on how unhappiness led to a fruitful writing breakthrough, but she still doesn’t get particularly gossipy about the experience.

I wish I could have been a fly on the wall on that set to see how the two interacted, however.

Ultimately, what E.L. James feels was kind of a rough situation turned out pretty happily. In general, fans seem to love the Fifty Shades of Grey movie, although Sam Taylor-Johnson did not return to the franchise.

In addition, Fifty Shades of Grey as told by Christian was given 1.25 million printings just for its initial run and the book sold over a million copies during its first week of release.

As has been common with the story of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, critics have been less nice about the series, but fans have totally devoured it.

We’ll have to wait and see if a fourth Fifty Shades series book ever comes to fruition. However, you can catch the full trilogy of movies on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital now, or grab your own copy of new book The Mister.

Apparently, E.L. James had been working on romance projects for a long time before she published her Fifty Shades books. The prominent author and movie producer recently revealed that her new book The Mister could have been her first book if things had panned out differently. She revealed how long she’d been writing The Mister, noting,

Anyone familiar with Fifty Shades of Grey should already know E.L. James first novel started out as Twilight fan fiction and then branched out to become the tale of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey fans worldwide know and love today. The first Fifty Shades book was first published back in 2011 and James has previously mentioned it took her 18 months to write the trilogy.

Before E.L. James decided she needed a more erotic version of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen in her life, she had started treatment on The Mister. This makes sense, given in real life E.L. James is British and a European tale about an Earl falling in love with his housekeeper is more on brand than a story set in the Northwestern part of the United States.

Per what E.L. James told AZ Central, the idea came about when she was thinking about what would happen if a man were to fall in love with his cleaner. However, there were a lot of stops and starts until that germ of an idea could become even a rough draft for a book. Then, of course, there was the distraction of writing and working on the movies for her Fifty Shades series.

Finally, last March, The Mister started falling into place. Per the author:

Ultimately, The Mister seems to be selling well so far. It sold more than 50,000 copies in its first week on shelves, and allegedly there are some interested parties sniffing around a movie deal.

However, had The Mister come out before Fifty Shades of Grey, it’s hard telling whether or not it would have attracted such a large following of loyal readers.

So, if you are someone who subscribes to the idea that everything happens for a reason, perhaps it was extremely fortuitous that E.L. James got stuck on an early draft of The Mister and was able to return to the idea later.

You can order your own copy of The Mister, which does have a Fifty Shades Easter egg, right now.

E.L. James, the author of the Fifty Shades of Grey series, has a new book out on the shelves called The Mister. Even if you've never read the books, there's a strong chance that you are at least a little familiar with the three Fifty Shades movies. They went on to gross a combined $1 billion at the box office, and it sounds like some studios are hoping for lightning to strike twice. James claims that studios are already circling a movie adaptation of The Mister.

The author's three Fifty Shades books followed the often dicey romance of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. While the soap opera drama they faced often placed obstacles in their path, the series is really known for and associated with sex. Things get real steamy between these two, helping to propel the series to worldwide success.

E.L. James' newest book, The Mister, is similar in concept to Fifty Shades. The novel follows an entirely different couple named Maxim Trevelyan and Alessia Demachi. Maxim is a wealthy playboy aristocrat who falls for the mysterious Alessia, whose only possession is her dark past. And they totally have sex, though it's apparently more vanilla than Fifty Shades.

The Mister has only been out for about a week, but it's already apparently gotten attention from movie studios. E.L. James told the Metro that she has been approached by studios for a film adaptation, but didn't get any deeper than that. In her words:

Obviously, that doesn't mean that a movie is storming into theaters next year. It sounds like conversations have only just started and there's no guarantee that a movie will even happen. I suppose some of that will depend on book sales, but that's already off to a good start. The Mister has sold 52,674 physical copies in its first week.

For the record, it doesn't sound like The Mister is well-liked at the moment. Critics gave the book negative reviews, but it's not like the Fifty Shades films were getting Oscar nominations. Critics usually weren't fans of the movies, but that didn't stop it from making money. Just because the book isn't getting good reviews now doesn't mean that a future movie won't.

It's still too early to tell if a movie about The Mister is in the cards, but so far the signs seem positive. For more movie news and updates, be sure to stick with CinemaBlend and we'll keep you informed as new information becomes available. In the meantime, there are plenty of other movies that we know for a fact are coming out this year. Don't forget to also to hit up our 2019 movie release guide to plan all of your theater visits for the ear.

E.L. James’ brand new book The Mister has only been on shelves for a few days now, but fans of the Fifty Shades of Grey book, its sequels and its movie counterparts have already cleverly spotted a reference connecting her new romance to her past trilogy.

The new book follows a modern fairytale romance between Maxim Trevelyan and Alessia Demachi, and one of those two lead characters in the novel has ties to the Fifty Shades universe.

If you are an eagle-eyed reader or Fifty Shades of Grey movie fan, you may already have noticed Maxim Trevelyan’s last name is the same as Christian Grey’s mother’s maiden name, his adopted mother that is.

So far, E.L. James has acknowledged the connection, but it mostly seems like she won’t be elaborating anytime soon, as she hasn’t wholly established that connection yet. She told EW:

Of Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey, we know the woman is a pediatrician and the matriarch of a wealthy and connected family in Washington state. Her story isn’t fleshed out as much as Christian Grey’s is, although she is the person who meets four-year-old Christian after his biological mother is dead and he is found, hungry and abandoned.

Of Maxim Trevelyan, we know Maxim is a new Earl who falls in love with his housekeeper who has been trafficked into the country from Albania. Maxim is also a bit of a sex fiend and has other hobbies outside of being the thirteenth earl of his name. Unlike the Trevelyan matriarch in Washington, Maxim is an English aristocrat, and the action in The Mister is basically all in London, Cornwall and the Balkans rather than the U.S.

Because we don't know a lot about Grace's family history, we don't know when her family came to the United States or what connection they might still have with England.

Thus, the real question remains: Do Dr. Grace Trevelyan Grey and Maxim Trevelyan know one another? If yes, then would there be an opportunity for the characters from Fifty Shades to interact in this universe? The Mister is a contemporary tale, despite being about an Earl, so this is not as far-fetched as it might seem at first glance.

If The Mister does well—and it’s all over shelves at bookstores already and was no. 1 on the book charts—there could be more of an opportunity to expand the narrative, maybe even on the big screen and likely through a sequel. We’ll let you know if the studios have an appetite for Maxim and Alessia’s story. In the meantime, you can order your own copy now.

Author E.L. James is finally stepping away from Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. In fact, she’s going in an entirely new direction with her new book The Mister, telling a tale with more English overtones and with brand new characters this time. She recently appeared on Today to talk about the book, noting:

The interesting thing about this announcement is that the original Fifty Shades of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson took a lot of pains to make some nods to fairytales like Alice in Wonderland in her movie. (There’s an “eat me, drink me” moment with some “tablets” when Anastasia Steele has a hangover, for example.) So, it’s sort of interesting that E.L. James also had fairytales on the brain when she began to come up with the premise to her latest tale.

The “Cinderella” angle doesn’t sound like it will be too on the nose, however. Instead of Prince Charming and Cinderella, E.L. James went on to tell Today that the book’s new characters will be named Maxim (Trevelyan) and Alessia (Demachi). In addition, we know the new story will be erotica, so if you had any worries that she might be stepping away from the type of sexually-charged fiction that made her famous, you need not fear. Take a look at the cover as well!

Here’s an excerpt of what to expect from the new book:

Since its publication in 2011, Fifty Shades of Grey has really been at the forefront of the erotica genre, going from fan-fiction to dominance in its publication and buoyed up even further thanks to a film franchise that has brought in over a billion dollars across three movies.

Because of this, there’s been a lot of interest in what E.L. James is going to do next. Still, E.L. James is careful to make it clear that even though the book will be erotic it won’t be like her Fifty Shades novels, due to it being an entirely new concept.

Will The Mister manage to gain the same sort of attention as Fifty Shades of Grey? We’ll have to wait and see.

As for hopes that a fourth Fifty Shades book (not counting the rewrite from Christian’s perspective) will come to fruition, we may have to wait for a while if not indefinitely for more to that story. Although E.L. James has said she does have an idea for another story…

It's that time, Ladies and Gentlemen. The last E.L. James book, Fifty Shades Freed, has been turned into a movie and that movie hit Blu-ray and DVD this week. As part of the final home entertainment set, popular author E.L. James had a conversation with Eric Johnson about the third and final movie in the trilogy, as well as some stuff related to the books. Of course, Johnson had to ask if there was anything else coming, and E.L. James obliged. She said, in fact, that she does have an idea for a fourth book, noting as part of the Blu-ray release,

Sadly, even Eric Johnson, who plays Jack Hyde in the popular movie series, could not get a peep out of E.L. James regarding what a fourth book might be about. However, just the fact that the author is planning a fourth book could mean big things for both the literary and big screen worlds. Previously, James had stated "there's a chance" fans could see a fourth book, but the fact that she has considered it enough to have an idea and even the first line in her head is big news.

So, if you've seen Fifty Shades Freed, you already know that the movie ends on a note wrapping up the story for fans. We get to see Anastasia Steele take charge and invite Jamie into the Red Room. We also get a highlight reel of the couple's biggest moments from the other movies. Finally, we see that Ana and Christian have a young boy named Teddy, and are about to have their second child, a daughter whom they wish to call Phoebe. Things seem to be going well. However, while talking about a potential fourth book, E.L. James admits that perhaps the happy ending won't last forever for Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele. The author said,

If a fourth movie does ever come together, it may have to come with new, older actors. A few months ago, series lead Jamie Dornan was asked about the prospect of future movies in the Fifty Shades franchise. He stated there were no more books, but even if there was another book, he felt he and Dakota Johnson were aging out, and "getting too old," to keep playing the roles.

If and when a fourth book happens, it seems very likely Universal would want to make another movie, but that largely would depend on timeline, budget and actor availability. Unless Ana and Christian were grey-haired and had been together many years, in which case recasting might be the right route. We'll keep you posted if another book and/ or movie happens, and in the meantime, we'll brainstorm what that first line could be. Oh, and of course, you can relive the romantic saga with Fifty Shades Freed, available on Blu-ray, here.

We're a couple of months out from the release of the third and final Fifty Shades movie hitting theaters. Fifty Shades Freed wrapped up the story of one Anastasia Steele and one Christian Grey in a way that should have been satisfying to fans. Now, ahead of the movie's Blu-ray, DVD and Digital release, E.L. James has shared a behind-the-scenes photo that gives us another glimpse at the reception of Ana and Christian. Check it out.

Early on in Fifty Shades Freed, the fans get to see moments from Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey's wedding, including the ceremony itself and various moments from their reception, as well. It all goes by pretty fast, and I'm sure many fans would have loved if they movie had given us a more in-depth look at the ceremony and more. However, the movie in general is fast-paced and there was plenty of stalking and dangerous antics that needed to be looked into, and since E.L. James' trilogy doesn't cover the wedding at all, it was really fan service to even get the scene above.

Luckily, if you were quite fond of the wedding stuff that we got, there will be more on the way. The Blu-ray and Digital releases alike will have a whole set of features known as "The Final Climax," because of course. One of those featurettes will focus on "The Wedding," which will take a look at the gown, the flowers and the venue. Universal evens says the movie had custom floral arrangements, so if you are basically hoping to mimic Fifty Shades Freed during your own wedding, you should soon have the tools. A whole separate featurette will give you a much closer look at the honeymoon, as well. So, if you cared more about the honeymoon yacht, you should be able to take a good look. Word is still out on whether we'll ever get to see the full-frontal nudity that was shot, but I'm going to go ahead and venture to guess it'll be a 'no.'

Although the Fifty Shades movies clearly have a fanbase, E.L. James stopped Ana and Christian's adventures after Fifty Shades Freed. She did write a book based on Christian's perspective, but it covers the same events as her earlier trilogy. With that in mind, the adventures of Christian and Ana may be at an end, and series lead Jamie Dornan seems fine with that transpiring. He previously said he and Dakota Johnson were aging out of the roles, anyway, noting,

So, there may not be more from these characters coming, but you'll always be able to relive your favorite relationship moments when Fifty Shades Freed officially hits Digital on April 24. In addition, the Blu-ray and DVD release will follow on May 8. If you loved the movie or still want to check it out, you can pre-order your copy, here.

One would think that a burgeoning screenwriter, whose script became a global pop-culture phenomenon, reaping $569 million at the box office, might have given the end product at least one look. Yet, for Fifty Shades of Grey scribe, Kelly Marcel, whose experience with the film was notably tumultuous, she can’t even bring herself to watch the movie over what she calls a broken heart.

Making an appearance on the podcast of American Psycho author, Brett Easton Ellis, Marcel candidly discusses the highly publicized creative conflicts over Fifty Shades of Grey that led to her departure from the upcoming sequel. Revealing why she still refuses to even view the film, Marcel states:

For Marcel, the process was especially disheartening because she essentially walked into the project bestowed by the studio powers-that-be with the illusion of creative freedom. Unfortunately, throughout the process, this privilege was chipped away gradually until the work barely resembled what she wrote. Marcel even reveals that she delivered her fully-realized original script to the studio and producers, who claimed to love what she had done… until, for some mysterious reason, they didn’t any longer. Not pulling any punches, Marcel calls the process, "utter, utter, bullshit."

Continuing to open up about the incrementally irritating process, Marcel also discusses the creative clashes she experienced with Fifty Shades author, E.L. James. Apparently, Marcel’s original approach the adaptation crafted the story in a more artistic, non-linear form. Rather than a notoriously slow, uninteresting build-up to the film’s heavily touted sexual pseudo-torture scenes, Marcel’s script apparently jumps right into the BDSM meat and potatoes from the very beginning. Likewise, the backstory explaining how this relationship between Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey first came about was told through sporadic flashbacks. Marcel’s version also did not contain any of Ana’s inner monologue, which she felt distracted from the dangerously sexual tone and mitigated the charcter's transformation into what she calls her "inner goddess."

While Marcel’s version certainly sounds like a piece rife with intrigue, we all know how the story behind this creative struggle ended. E.L. James got the film she apparently wanted, much to the creative chagrin of departing personnel like Marcel and the equally unfulfilled director Sam Taylor-Johnson. The result was a hugely lucrative, but widely-panned film showcasing a linear-unfolding, awkwardly paced narrative that gets lost in the mundane minutiae. As if that wasn’t enough, it failed to live up to the supposed scandalous nature of its highly promoted prurience, something that could present problems for the brand regarding its two potential sequels.

For now, despite struggles behind the scenes and reportedly contentious negotiations with stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, the sequel, Fifty Shades Darker, is still moving forward. Possibly mitigating the creative clashes with E.L. James, the studio went so far as to bring her screenwriter husband, Niall Leonard, on board to pen a script that is said to shift genres. At the moment, said sequel is targeting a February 2017 release.

Ask anyone what the key to a successful franchise is, and some will tell you that it's all in the timing. As a matter of fact, it's an unofficial rule of thumb that the quicker you can put those sequels out, the better. Give the right series a yearly slot to inhabit, and it quickly becomes a welcome annual visitor in the hearts and minds of the fans. Of course, if you wait too long between installments, the public could turn their back faster than you can say, "Fifty Shades Darker" - a film that might not see the light of day as quickly as you'd expect.

Variety is reporting that as a result of behind the scenes conflict involvingauthor E.L. James' desire for more creative control, the details regarding the cinematic future of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele are up in the air. According to the trade, Fifty Shades Darker isn't likely going to be able to get going until the first few months of 2016, which means that it's likely the sequel won't actually be arriving until some time in 2017. At this point, there's no script and no start date, which means that getting the movie out for Valentines Day 2016 is very doubtful.

With an opening weekend that brought in more than enough money to justify funding similarly-budgeted follow-ups, Fifty Shades Of Grey and its two upcoming sequels looked like they could have been Universal's ticket to three Valentine's Days in a row where they'd rule the romantic roost. If they pulled it off, the series could have been the adult equivalent of such success stories as The Hunger Games franchise. Not to mention, the rapid succession of sequels could have helped combat the prime enemy of any franchise: time.

While Fifty Shades Of Grey might have made a splash in 2015, leaving 2016 and 2017 as prime launching pads for Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed respectively, a longer gap between films might dim the market of eager fans awaiting their next round of fun-ishment with zeal and relish. If there is too much time in between releases, there is the risk that the core audience will get distracted by something else during that interim and lose interest by the time it comes back.

Time waits for no person or franchise, and while Fifty Shades Of Grey was lucky to actually manage to land an audience so long after it was published; the years between now and when Fifty Shades Darker is released may not be as kind. Ultimately, fans are going to have to decide whether they want the next two sequels done fast, or done right. Fifty Shades Of Grey is currently in theaters.

It was a few weeks back that we first reported on the occasionally contentious relationship between author E.L. James and director Sam Taylor-Johnson on the set of Fifty Shades of Grey. At that time, the filmmaker was quoted saying that she and the writer found themselves at odds at times making the film, debating the creative direction of the feature in relation to the book. While you might think that this would simmer after the immensely successful release of the film last week, apparently the behind-the-scenes conflict is only getting deeper, as James is now reportedly working hard to gain creative control of the upcoming sequel, Fifty Shades Darker.

This news comes to us from Variety, which says that E.L. James is working to try and get a stronger voice in the filmmaking process with the upcoming sequel by adapting her own book into the next screenplay. Unfortunately, the higher-ups at Universal Pictures don't seem to be too keen on this idea, and it's causing a bit of drama. The trade report quotes from an unnamed source close to the project saying that a shuffle in the creative team is expected in the coming weeks, as right now it looks like neither Sam Taylor-Johnson nor screenwriter Kelly Marcel will be coming back for part two of what is presumably going to be a three-part franchise.

When reached for comment, a representative from Universal Pictures said that no decisions have officially been made regarding Taylor-Johnson or Marcel's future with the Fifty Shades series. They toed a similar line when discussing how E.L. James will fit into the plans for future movies, saying,

While James didn't write the script for Fifty Shades of Grey, Variety notes that she did have a surprising amount of creative influence in the filmmaking process - especially compared to writers like J.K. Rowling and Stephenie Meyer, who were both "hands-off" when it came to the big screen versions of their work. James contract with the studio allowed her access to creative meetings, and, according to sources, "would at times hold up the creative process by offering input that wasn’t in line with the filmmakers’ vision."

It will be fascinating to see how this story develops, if not only because E.L. James interests may eventually come into serious conflict with the interests of the studio. Variety's article suggests that the author wasn't happy at all about the sexual content of her story being toned down for the big screen adaptation, and one would imagine that she will fight hard to get more of it in the sequel. This creates a problem, because the studio can't allow that much sexual content and risk an NC-17 rating that would really destroy most distribution options. This has all the makings of a stand-off, and one could see it winding up doing serious harm to the future of Fifty Shades Darker.

When it comes to who has the last say on the Fifty Shades of Grey movie, it seems like author E.L. James refuses to back down. Much like how Jamie Dornan’s Christian Grey is the dominant force in his BDSM relationship with Dakota Johnson’s Anastasia Steele, James reportedly has so much control over the direction of the film adaptation and she wields it frequently. This proved to be a detriment to director Sam Taylor-Johnson, as the two fought over how the final scene of the film should play out. Guess who came out on top?

Yup, James. The writer of the Twilight fan-fiction turned best-selling BDSM erotic series was reportedly given immense say in the making of the Fifty Shades of Grey film, according to sources close to The Hollywood Reporter. And among the many issues on which she fought with Johnson was adapting the final scene.

Beware of spoilers from both the film and the book ahead…

In the novel, the final scene shows Anastasia asking her lover to unleash his inner sex demon on her…in other words, give her the sexual beating he wants to dish out. He does, which horrifies her and she ends up leaving him. (Side bar, this is probably one of the many scenes with which the online campaign #50dollarsnot50shades has taken major issue.) According to multiple THR sources, Johnson and her team wanted to end the film with Anastasia saying, "red," which is the couple’s safe word. The idea was to make it artsy and intrigue people enough to maintain interest for a sequel. However, James wanted none of that, and the final word will now be "stop."

According to one insider close to the project, the tiff over this small detail was "petty and ridiculous" and was ultimately the result of all the tension that built up between James and Johnson. The director has said before in interviews that it was very difficult working with the author, given all of her creative influence and persistence. On one hand, fans fell in the love with the book for a reason, and James’ ideas should be considered. However, writing a book and making a film are two different things. As she told Porter magazine (via US Weekly) of their working relationship:

Aside from this seemingly minute detail, producer Michael De Luca told Variety that the final scene in the film as the most intense. He praised Dornan’s ability to get lost in the role and he said the actor "gets carried away in the moment." Moviegoers have already been reserving their tickets ahead of time for the big debut on Valentine’s Day, so hopefully fans of the book will think the film an acceptable adaptation. However, we can’t help but wonder how much of the on-going conflict between James and Johnson will be reflected in the film.

In the weeks leading up to its theatrical release, Fifty Shades of Grey has generated plenty of controversy, with conversation constantly flying around regarding how much sex and BDSM content is actually featured in the movie. Reports have said that as much as 20% of the film is characters making the beast with two backs, which is quite a lot by normal blockbuster standards - but apparently it may have just not been enough for Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James. Apparently she wasn't too big on the idea of graphic content from her story being removed for the big screen adaptation, and this opinion led to some serious on-set arguments with director Sam Taylor-Johnson.

The filmmaker recently sat down for an interview with Porter Magazine, and according to Vulture, an interesting part of the dialogue included Taylor-Johnson revealing that she had "multiple screaming matches" with E.L. James while trying to make the film version of Fifty Shades of Grey. Talking about her relationship with the author, the director told the interviewer,

When the Fifty Shades of Grey adaptation was first starting to get into motion (circa January 2013), screenwriter Kelly Marcel promised that the script she was writing was aiming for an NC-17 rating - saying that they were "100 percent going there" - but obviously a great deal of change has occurred since then (most likely because getting an "NC-17" film a wide release is practically impossible, even for a major studio). A few weeks ago, the MPAA officially tagged the movie with an "R," citing things like strong sexual content, unusual behavior and graphic nudity, and we've read reports since saying that some of the book's most intense content - like a scene involving the aggressive removal of a tampon - have been cut for the feature film version.

Knowing that E.L. James wasn't too happy at times while on the set of the Fifty Shades of Grey movie, it will be interesting to hear what she winds up thinking of the final product. After all, the concept of an author not being happy with a Hollywood adaptation is very far from new, and it's not impossible that James will feel that she doesn't recognize her story up on the big screen. That being said, it also sounds like most of Sam Taylor-Johnson's conflicts with the writer were creatively and peaceably resolved, so it's equally likely that James winds up loving the film. We'll just have to wait and find out.

Author E.L. James was a complete unknown when she turned her Twilight fan-fiction into the international publishing phenomenon Fifty Shades of Grey, so it's somehow only appropriate that the book's film adaptation will also be penned by a newcomer. Universal and Focus Features announced today that Kelly Marcel has been tapped to write their adaptation of Fifty Shades, which the two companies acquired earlier this year.

Marcel's biggest credit is one that has yet to see the screen-- she's the author of Saving Mr. Banks a story set behind the scenes of the production of the Marry Poppins movie. That film is currently in production at Disney, with Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson and Colin Farrell in the major roles. Saving Mr. Banks made the Black List of the best unproduced screenplays in 2011, and that year Marcel also served as the co-creator and executive producer of the short-lived Fox series Terra Nova.

Here's what Fifty Shades producer Dana Brunetti had to say about Marcel in today's announcement:

With Marcel now set to adapt, the rumor mill around Fifty Shades can now focus on who will be chosen to direct and, of course, star in the main roles of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey. It's worth noting that Marcel's name was on the shortlist of writers revealed in August, so maybe all these rumors are more worthwhile than we first thought.

Bringing E.L. James' steamy novel Fifty Shades of Grey to the big screen could prove to be a tricky task. Not only will they have to get the casting right, but whoever is tapped to direct will have to figure out a way to bring the sexually charged story to life without turning it into a full-on adult film, assuming they're aiming for an R rating on the picture. Beyond Christian Grey's room full of grown-up toys and Anastasia Steele's apprehension over being his submissive, there is actually a budding romance developing within the story. The novel grabbed the attention of women all over, so perhaps it would be fitting for a woman to helm the film.

Universal Pictures and Focus Features won the rights to bring Fifty Shades to the big screen back in March. Since then, there's been much speculation over who should/might play the lead roles, and the question of who will direct is still unanswered. Per Deadline, the latter likely won't be until a producer is set first. But there are now rumors circulating that Angelina Jolie might be in the running for the job of directing. The Hollywood Reporter says that "people were saying" Jolie had been approached to direct the movie, and that their sources say there may have been an "informal conversation" but that "nothing was real." Jolie's reps have denied there being any talks with Focus, and Focus also denied the rumor. Meanwhile, Deadline's sources say no discussions have been had, "but they note that if she was interested, that the studio would be also." So at this point, if there's any truth to it, no one is ready or willing to confirm it.

We can file this one under a rumor for now, though it could be a possibility. Jolie has a couple of acting projects coming up, including Maleficent (due out early 2014) and eventually Salt 2. Her schedule might allow her time to direct a film. It wouldn't be her first. In addition to the documentary A Place in Time, Jolie directed the 2011 war drama In the Land of Blood and Honey. This would be taking things in a different direction, but who knows? We'll have to wait and see if anything comes of this talk, or if it's just more speculation in anticipation of another popular book getting the big screen treatment.

As I’m about a third of the way through the third book in E.L. James’ lusty romance series Fifty Shades of Grey, my interest in the potential movie adaptation is naturally piqued. We learned yesterday that Universal and Focus Features have acquired the rights to the story, which has grabbed the attention of many a female. But as I continue to wonder how this story could work as a successful film, and one women will flock to in droves as they have to the eBooks on which it’s based, a part of me thinks it might work better as a pay-cable TV series.

What apparently started out as Twilight fan fiction evolved into a story about a college grad who falls for a young, wealthy business tycoon with an appetite for the rougher type of sex. That’s actually putting it mildly. The first book in James’ series of novels focuses on Anastasia Grey’s growing interest for the attractive, mysterious Christian Grey, and the sexually charged relationship that ensues between the two. The story evolves from there, leading into the second and third novels, with the primary focus remaining on Christian and Ana’s relationship, with a side of Christian’s personal baggage. To say that the sex-scenes are described in detail is probably an understatement. The novels often delve into the specifics of the couple’s sexual exploits, which likely explains why the books have been branded by some as “mommy porn.” At it’s core though, Fifty Shades is a romance.

I can certainly see the appeal in the film, especially for those who want to see what a living, breathing Christian Grey looks like. But I have to wonder how the story will work for a feature film, and whether women will be interested in sitting in a movie theater watching what could be fairly graphic sex scenes play out on a giant screen. It’s one thing to see a bit of nudity and some under the sheets movement at the movies. It may be another to watch an S&M scene unfold while seated among dozens of strangers. There’s certainly the potential for awkwardness there, especially given the frequency of these scenes, at least, as they appear in the book. This is, assuming the film aims to recreate some, if not all of Christian and Ana’s bedroom moments.

The sex is a big part of the story, and it plays a pretty big factor in the development of Ana and Christian’s relationship, given the extreme nature of some of the scenes, so I can't imagine they plan to leave them out, though it's likely they'll be downplayed from the detailed descriptions offered in the book. When considering these scenes adapted to the screen, I find myself more inclined to draw comparisons to television than film. In fact, by comparison to some shows, what goes on between Christian and Ana might be considered tame. Pay-cable dramas like Starz’ Spartacus and HBO’s True Blood have frequently included sex scenes featuring a lot of nudity, and in some cases, graphic violence. So it’s not like Fifty Shades would be breaking new ground on television if the series were adapted for a pay-cable drama.

Looking beyond the sex for a moment, let’s also consider the story being told here. Girl meets boy. Girl falls for boy. Boy ties girl up. Lots of sex ensues. I know I'm over-generalizing the story, but that is sort of the timeline of events. They may decide to combine books to make one big movie, or split the story up differently, perhaps in two parts, which would add a bit more conflict and drama, when factoring in some of the events that take place in Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed. But going by the first book alone, there isn’t a huge amount of story to tell.

Structurally, the first book is really about Ana’s decision to be and stay with Christian, knowing what he’s into, and trying to figure out if she can be what he wants. Sure, that could work for a movie, but I see this kind of character development as something that could lend itself nicely to a pay-cable series, spaced out over a 10-episode season, as opposed to a two-hour movie. With the James’ involvement, the story could even be (excuse the pun) fleshed out, perhaps building up some of the other characters, like Kate, Elliot, and Mia. There might also have been more room to fully explore Christian and Ana as characters. Alas, this all may be pointless to ponder over at this point, given Universal and Focus’ recent acquisition.

In the meantime, I’m curious to see how the film adaptation develops, and perhaps once we have a better idea of what Universal and Focus have in mind for the project, including whether they plan to cast unknowns or go with big names.

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You may have already read it. Or maybe you've just heard about it. Word of mouth brought it to my attention, and then it seemed to be everywhere, including the NY Times Best Sellers list. Fifty Shades of Grey has women's attention and I soon discovered why, as I found myself immersed in the page-turner about a college grad who falls for a young, wealthy business tycoon, whom she soon discovers, has certain extreme interests with regards to his bedroom preferences. Twilight, this story is not (though there is a loose connection.)

Always on the lookout for books I think could make good movies, I wondered if E.L. James’ novel could be adapted to a film that people could sit through without feeling as though they were watching an adult movie. We may find out. According to Deadline, author E.L. James and her literary agent Valerie Hoskins have been in meetings with studio heads, production companies and producers about the screen rights to Fifty Shades of Grey. Per Deadline, “a number of producers will court James and Hoskins, hoping to be attached at one of the studios that will be bidding on the novel, the first of a trilogy.” Bidding should take place this Friday. Their sources say “this will be the biggest book rights auction in a long time.”

As Deadline notes, some people have dismissed the novel (and likely the two that follow) as “mommy porn.” The book definitely ventures into naughty territory, getting into specifics on the sexual exploits of young Anastasia Steele and the dreamy, powerful, Christian Grey. But a story does begin to develop as both characters get to know one another. The question is, how will it translate to the big screen and will women flock to see it?

We’ll have have to wait and see. In the meantime, to those who have read it, who do you picture playing Anastasia and Christian? ?