Does Sam Taylor-Johnson Want to Leave the ‘Fifty Shades’ Franchise?

Studio bosses behind the movie adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey have played down speculation director Sam Taylor-Johnson is quitting the franchise, insisting they have yet to finalize any plans for sequels.

The erotic thriller, starring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, is based on the first book in author E. L. James’ raunchy trilogy, and producers are reportedly keen to press ahead with second and third films to complete the series after raking in over $266 million globally following the film’s release last week.

However, Taylor-Johnson is reportedly keen to cut ties with the Universal project after repeatedly clashing with James.

A source tells Britain’s The Sun newspaper, “She (Taylor-Johnson) wants out and Universal knows that’s the right decision. Her relationship with Erika (James) has become absolutely toxic – they despise each other and blame each other for the problems with the film.

“All the biggest arguments were about the sex scenes in the film. Erica wanted the movie to be loyal to the book and much more explicit. But Sam pushed back because she wanted the movie to be more than just a collection of S&M scenes.”

Taylor-Johnson recently confirmed rumours of bitter on-set arguments with James, admitting it was “difficult” working with the writer, but Universal Pictures executives are refusing to reveal if the report of her exit is true.

A studio representative simply states, “Universal has not yet announced anything pertaining to sequels.”

The other books in James’ trilogy are titled Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.

You can read FanBolt’s review of the film here.

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