Money talks, and opinions walk. That’s certainly the case with "Fifty Shades Of Grey." Hardly a critical darling, the movie nonetheless opened with a massive $239 million worldwide last weekend, and one can only imagine that Universal wants to get the gang back together to make "Fifty Shades Darker." In fact, the followup films are reportedly in the works, but could the meddling ways of author E.L. James have ruined the kinky fun for director Sam Taylor-Johnson?
While it has already been said there are currently "no discussions" for Taylor-Johnson to return to helm any sequels, it would seem her clashes with the writer have taken a toll. “I feel like I never want to make a movie again,” Taylor-Johnson told Variety last month, “Maybe that will possibly change soon.” As for actors Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, they are contracted to return.
Whatever you might say about their chemistry (or lack thereof), one narrative that is beginning to emerge is that Johnson is the best thing about ‘Fifty Shades’ whether you like the movie or not. And apparently that talent was noticed right from her audition, which required reading a particularly challenging piece of material — a monologue from Ingmar Bergman‘s "Persona."
“She blew us out of the water,” Taylor-Johnson told Vogue. “She understood the nuance of that passage and how to play something delicately. Dakota has the ability to play so fragile and vulnerable, but with this underlying strength that makes you feel she is going to triumph.”
And yet, for the talent on screen and the popularity of the movie, it seems there are still a significant number of folks who can’t bear to buy a ticket that says "Fifty Shades Of Grey" on it. A recent report notes that there were over 300,000 illegal downloads of terrible "cam rips" of the movie on opening weekend. If you’re going to use your eyes on a crappy version of ‘Fifty Shades,’ you might as well just read the book, right?
50 shades isn\’t a story to EL James it is a brand… she make over 60,000,000 a year on licensing alone for everything from wine to sex toys… and once the movies are out I bet that goes to 100 million a year.. plus she made some money on the books as well. So she will retain control to protect her brand… any director going in needs to know they are really a gun for hire.
I am going 2 go c it next time I am in fl.
To @CDE: You are spot on. Thank you!
Let me also add how dismally ironic that a movie like Persona was being used in the casting process of 50 Shades of Gray. That\’s…just sad. I feel sorry for Ingmar Bergman\’s lifeless, decomposing corpse.
I honestly feel sorry for her. You can all put so much makeup on a pig. This movie was always gonna be terrible and there was nothing Johnson could have done about it. That\’s a tough situation.
Male authors haven\’t had as much control as EL James did. She got an incredible contract that gave her approval over almost everything. Since she\’s never had an original thought in her life, I can understand how Taylor-Johnson would be frustrated by being forced to listen to her dumb ideas. She even wanted control over what color dress Dakota wore. Taylor-Johnson elevated a piece of trash script into something at least palatable, and got a good performance out of Dakota. She did the heavy lifting, it\’s a shame that hack made her feel so bad during the shoot and during promo. But I\’ll bet STJ is being offered jobs all over town, or she sure should be.
I wonder if this supposed hostility would be so fussed over by the press if there were two men involved. I can imagine that it would be called a disagreement, but when two females disagree fingers are pointed. So what, the author is difficult, I am sure there are many male authors that have butted heads in the same way.
Interesting, feels like Johnson could be walking in her mother\’s footsteps, Griffith\’s charm and talent withstood and rose above a lot of trash before she was taken seriously too.
actually the adage is that theater is the actor\’s medium and TV belongs to the writers.
Movies are a directors medium, theater is a writers (playwrite) or so it used to be.
So, don\’t. No one will miss you.
I think she didn\’t expect EL James to have total control over the production; this is her first Hollywood film. In London she probably got the proper director\’s treatment. Authors need to let go of their text for film because film is an entirely different mode of storytelling. 50 Shades wasn\’t good, but there was too much of the same thing happening, and I think that moreso goes to James\’ adherence to her text.
What did Taylor-Johnson expect signing onto this project?