FIFTY SHADES OF GREY Sequels Set for February 2017 and February 2018

The two Fifty Shades of Grey sequels don't have a director and are being written by a guy who only got the screenwriting gig because he's married to the creator of the franchise, but Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed now have release dates.

Universal Pictures announced on Thursday that Fifty Shades Darker will open on Feb. 10, 2017, and Fifty Shades Freed will open on Feb. 9, 2018.

The first sequel was originally supposed to come out in 2016, but the departure of director Sam Taylor-Johnson and screenwriter Kelly Marcel caused Universal to push the films back. Apparently both Taylor-Johnson and Marcel had trouble getting along with Fifty Shades of Grey creator EL James, who has final say on pretty much every issue involved with adapting these books for the big screen.

Variety reported on Wednesday that Niall Leonard, James' husband, will adapt Fifty Shades Darker. Leonard has no experience writing movie scripts. He has written TV scripts, which is a step up from James writing the screenplay herself.