Whether you loved it, hated it, or would rather just pretend it didn’t exist, Fifty Shades of Grey was a box office hit. Costing just $40 million to make, the movie – which starred Dakota Johnson as Anastasia Steele and Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey – ended up grossing $569 million worldwide last year.
Both the leads will be reprising their roles for the sequel, and joining them is a surprisingly impressive list of names, including Kin Basinger, Rita Ora and Bella Heathcote. However, someone who won’t be returning is director Sam Taylor-Johnson. Instead, James Foley (House of Cards) is set to take the helm of sequels Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, both of which will shoot back to back over the next few months.
The latest addition to the cast of Fifty Shades Darker has been added tonight in the form of Hannibal alum Hugh Dancy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he’ll play Dr. John Flynn, a psychiatrist that Christian Grey begins seeing after the re-appearance of his former lover (who initiated him into the world of S&M) Mrs. Elena “Robinson” Lincoln. Originally from England, Flynn moved to Seattle after he married an American woman.
Fifty Shades of Grey cleaned up at this year’s Razzies and as we mentioned above, made a pretty good dent at the box office. Fifty Shades Darker doesn’t sound too promising at the moment, but with some interesting casting additions and a new director behind the camera, we’re hopeful that the final product will turn out to be a little bit better than its predecessor was.
