James Foley has been officially offered the job to direct the “Fifty Shades of Grey” sequel after news broke two weeks ago that he was the top choice for the project.
Deadline Hollywood first reported that Foley was a front-runner for “Fifty Shades Darker” and sources now tell Variety that negotiations are expected to start shortly. Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson are attached to reprise their roles, with author E.L. James, Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti producing. James’ husband, Niall Leonard, penned the script.
Execs had been meeting with directors over the past several months since Sam Taylor-Johnson, who directed the first film in the trilogy, announced that she would not be returning to helm.
Production will begin in the first quarter of 2016, with the film set to bow on Feb. 14, 2017. Casting should get underway once Foley’s deal is worked out.
Variety Via
'Black Mass' director Scott Cooper talks about Dakota
"She's young but fearless, she's not afraid of anything. She might seem fragile but she's really tough. Dakota Johnson has been standing Johnny Depp's ground like a boss."
"The actors know that I'm on their side, a part of their team. I love colaborations but I hate auditions, I prefer to meet up with the actors for a few hours and see if we have the same ideas and thoughts. I hate rehearsals, too. The movie must begin with the word 'Action!' and end with 'Cut!'; I'm not looking for parrots that come to set to repeat over and over again something they've learned by memory at home."
Scans
Scans: @justjamiedakota | Translation: @DakotaJohnsonEN
@chloetheomovie: BTS Didn't make it in the movie but Dakota was such a trooper and was covered in flour even her eyes! She's amazing💚
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Dakota without Shades
“In Venice with a scary role. I’ll be a far more shady seductress than Jane Birkin.”
“I got into character quite easily.” Her character, Penelope, is a malicious seductress. “She’s a young and precious woman, she’s unclear about who she is and what she wants. She has a great ability, she can play with people’s emotions with such a passionate cruelty.” What do you mean? “She’s a troublemaker with a lot of mystery and that shade of confidence that is nerve-wracking for such a young age. Luca describes her as that moment in your life when you finally realize the true meaning of things inside yourself.”
“She likes to play with the people around her,” says Guadagnino. “She manipulates, in the most childish of ways and doesn’t understand the consequences of her cynicism.”
The cast was chosen and they just missed the actress for the role of Penelope. He was looking for “a beautiful actress that wasn’t one of those gorgeous girls movies are so full of nowadays.” Dakota came in last minute, “It’s not true that Dakota came in last minute and neither the fact that she hadn’t shot Fifty Shades of Grey at the time. He went through many actresses and through Sam Taylor-Johnson (the director that put Dakota under the spotlight), Dakota and Luca met. He’d been really attracted by her attention, the awareness and the humor. He immediately told her he did not intend to turn her into a nymphet, a Lolita.”
A Bigger Splash (that takes inspiration from the colorful painting by David Hockney) is a revisit rather than a remake of the well-known ‘La Piscine’. Dakota: “Luca told me, ‘if you wanna see it, then do it’, but we didn’t really talk much about it. I ran to see Alain Delon and Romy Schneider – such a stunning couple – besides, I’ve always loved Jane Birkin. The original Penelope is much more nicer, she has that sweet innocence. Mine instead is twisted and calculating.” Dakota was disappointed by the fact that she wasn’t on set the day Tilda Swinton sang in a stadium. In reality, it was San Siro and singer Jovanotti ‘landed’ the stage to her just twenty minutes before his concert. The audience has been notified of such thing and it went mad. The director also followed Tilda’s advice on losing her character’s voice, “that is why she’s silent for the whole movie.”
Did Guadagnino warn Dakota that Venice can easily turn into a lions’ den? “I’ve been here six or seven times, either as a director or a judge. I feel at home in Venice, it has been both generous and brutal with me.”
Dakota, one question: you have many tattoos, some of them written in Latin even, and in many scenes you’re just wearing a bikini. “We decided not to hide them because Penelope, like myself, is afraid of regretting something that is permanent. She’s afraid of not being able to change what has been done and can’t be undone. When I was younger, I never truly realized how precious my body was. Penelope, in this story, is not aware of the precious things life has in store for her.”
Thanks to @DakotaJohnsonEN for translation | Scan
It looks like Universal is close to finding a director for the next installment of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” franchise.
While no offer has been delivered, sources tell Variety that James Foley is the frontrunner to land the “Fifty Shades Darker” job and that an offer should be delivered shortly for the TV and film helmer, who has most recently worked on “House of Cards.”
Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson are attached to reprise their roles, with author E.L. James, Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti producing. Niall Leonard penned the script.
Execs had been meeting with directors over the past several months since announcing that Sam Taylor-Johnson, who directed the first of the trilogy, would not be returning as director.
Production will begin in the first quarter of 2016, with the film set to bow on Feb. 14, 2017, so Foley will have time to assess the script and form his strategy. Casting should get under way once Foley’s deal is worked out, but sources add the process will be straightforward since the leads are already in place.
Foley directed stylish dramas of the ’80s and ’90s including “After Dark, My Sweet,” “At Close Range,” “Fear” and “Glengarry Glen Ross.” His first film was 1984 romance “Reckless,” which starred Darryl Hannah and Aidan Quinn as lovers from opposite backgrounds.
@chloetheomovie: Dakota aka Chloe on set. She wanted to Do something for climate change so badly she wrote an email to us I still have!
"Dakota Johnson hadn't shot 'Fifty Shades of Grey' at the time, so she wasn't a star but just a cute girl," says Guadagnino.
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Dakota is cute with her sweet wickedness and the skill to influence adults. Sure the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' whips and handcuffs made her a star, but Guadagnino made her more interesting and believable.
Source | Translation: EverythingDakotaJohnson | Via
