As anyone whose Twilight fan fiction eventually became a hit movie that made more than $300 million in its first week would be, E.L. James appears to be rather full of herself. The author was reportedly heavily involved in the creative process for the first film, exercising final say over casting choices and demanding changes to scenes that didn’t conform to her vision (or, as James probably calls it, her “inner goddess”). James’ refusal to compromise apparently drove both screenwriter Kelly Marcel and director Sam Taylor-Johnson crazy, so much so that Taylor-Johnson doesn‘t want to return for the sequel and Marcel has declined to participate in the film’s press tour.
Considering this writer’s favorite aspects of Fifty Shades Of Grey were the parts that strayed from James’ novel, it’s therefore not a good sign that James is now insisting that she write the screenplay for the sequel, Fifty Shades Darker, herself. Negotiations on this point are apparently holding up the official announcement of the sequel, making it highly unlikely that the film will be ready in time for Valentine’s Day next year. If Universal waits until Valentine’s Day 2017, the public may very well have moved on to another erotic fan-fiction phenomenon by then. The delay is also preventing leads Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, both of whom are in demand at the moment, from committing to other films. If this trend continues, E.L. James may have to write, direct, produce, and star in the third Fifty Shades Of Grey movie herself. Maybe that was her plan all along…