FIFTY SHADES OF GREY Author EL James Wants to Adapt Sequel Herself; DARKER Likely Delayed

For a franchise about S&M, it's no surprise that someone wants more creative control. Fifty Shades of Grey author EL James wants to write the script for the sequel herself, according to Variety.

James already exerted a ton of control of the adaption of Fifty Shades of Grey, serving as a producer, having approval over casting and trumping director Sam Taylor-Johnson when it came to disagreements over the movie's direction. Variety reports that James and Taylor-Johnson "constantly fought" on set and James "would at times hold up the creative process by offering input that wasn't in line with the filmmakers' vision." Thanks to James' contract, there was little Taylor-Johnson could do.

Fifty Shades of Grey was a huge box office hit, grossing $85.2 million its opening weekend. The quality of the movie was never going to play a part in the box office success of the Fifty Shades of Grey, but having a real screenwriter like Saving Mr. Banks' Kelly Marcel adapt the book for the big screen turned glorified fanfic into something close to an actual story with actual characters. Without Marcel and Taylor-Johnson, Fifty Shades Darker is going to be made by a very different creative team.

James has never written a screenplay, which spells big trouble for Fifty Shades Darker. According to Variety, James adapting the sequel herself will cause a production delay that will push the movie into late 2016 or early 2017. The original plan was to have Fifty Shades Darker in theaters for Valentine's Day 2016. It looks like James' desire to control all aspects of the movie will make that difficult to hit.