"I exercise control in all things," says Christian
Grey. Cue titters. Now that Fifty Shades of Grey has racked up $550 million at
the box office, the movie's stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan will probably
be looking to exercise more control off the screen too. According to the
Hollywood Reporter, they'll be looking to get a seven-figure raise to make the
sequels, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed.
Just two weeks ago, there were rumblings that Dornan was
considering dropping out of the trilogy. His rep quickly denied them, though,
telling R29, "Jamie is
delighted that the film is breaking box office records worldwide, and whilst
the studio has not made any formal announcements about sequels, he is looking
forward to making the next film." Translation: Even though the actors
signed a three-picture deal, they're going to negotiate the crap out of this.
This isn't such a surprising move. The pair only (!) made about
$250,000 plus a percentage of box office. When Jennifer Lawrence
made the first Hunger Games, THR points out, she made $500,000, and she was
able to bump that up to $10 million for Catching Fire. So, that's just what the
kids are doing these days.
Not everyone's banking on parts two and three, however.
Director Sam Taylor-Johnson is said to be dropping out, as is the movie's screenwriter, Kelly Marcel.
Whatever happens, the next movie isn't likely to start filming until early
2016. In the meantime, we can all return to reading for our pleasure, with
these other erotic novels.