There’s never a dull moment in the world of Fifty Shades of Grey. It’s the book phenomenon that swept the entire world, written by author E. L. James after her Twilight fan fiction stories became something much bigger than she ever imagined. Sales of the trilogy saw James go right to the top of 2013’s Forbes highest-earning authors list, with $95 million made from the franchise, $5 million of which were for the film rights to the trilogy. It’s managed to divide opinion like almost nothing has ever done before, and the second movie in the series – Fifty Shades Darker – is right around the corner.

Starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan as leading characters Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, the first teaser trailer and poster for the second film have already been released, the former of which managed to shatter the trailer views record set by Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Those behind the movie will be hoping to replicate that success this week, having dropped the second poster and trailer for Fifty Shades Darker. Whilst the poster sticks in the same vein of the first, showing Anastasia in her mask and Christian looking at her lustfully, the trailer reveals a little more of the story fans will be seeing take place on the big screen this time round.

Christian is for the first time questioning his former relationship with Ana, hurt that it broke down but determined to bring his ex-lover back into his life one way or another. Ana is for the first time demanding a new arrangement before allowing Christian another chance - but when figures from Christian’s past begin to work their way into Ana’s life, the pair’s future could be destroyed before it’s even had a chance to really get underway.

With House of Cards director James Foley sat in the driver’s seat for Fifty Shades Darker and a script penned by E. L. James’ husband, those critical of the franchise and series as a whole could see this step in the right direction as the news they needed to go and give the film a chance. It’s no secret that the big screen adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey was definitely not well-received by many of those who went to see it (read our review), but there honestly could be a major improvement here from what we’ve seen so far.

That said, many reviews of the first Fifty Shades movie noted that its source material is so weak that it’s hard to envision anyone making this franchise digestible. Coupling that with the idea that for many people, their curiosity was likely quenched by going to see the first installment (out of bewilderment and intrigue), and Fifty Shades Darker might not be as robust at the box office as even its detractors are predicting. Either way, it’s sure to get everybody talking all over again, which can only be a good thing for the lady behind it all: E. L. James.

Source: Universal Pictures

  • Fifty Shades Darker Release Date: 2017-02-10