Contrary to previous reports, it appears as though Northern Irish star Jamie Dornan is committed to reprising his role as conflicted billionaire Christian Grey in the upcoming sequels to Fifty Shades of Grey.
Since the erotic drama debuted in theaters – making a killing at the box office in the process – speculation that Dornan’s wife was unhappy with the nature of the film cast doubt over the chances of the actor returning for the next chapter. However, in a statement provided to ABC News, Dornan’s representatives assured fans that this is simply not the case, and that he is looking forward to exploring the character further on screen.
“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,” his rep told ABC News.
At the time of writing, Fifty Shades of Grey has stormed past $400 million at the worldwide box office, and though the film’s critical reception has been less than flattering, development on a sequel has already entered the early stages.
But as we learned last week, the follow-up to the big-screen adaptation could prove to be significantly different. Not only is director Sam Taylor-Johnson toying with the idea of retiring as a filmmaker for good, but author E.L. James has come forward to say that she wants to have more creative input in Fifty Shades Darker, though Universal Pictures is yet to comment on the possibility of James penning the script outright.
Whatever the case, production on the sequel was inevitably hinging on the return of Dakota Johnson and Dornan, and now that the latter has kicked speculation to the curb and made his commitment clear, it shouldn’t be too long before Fifty Shades of Grey fans get another helping of BDSM on the silver screen, for better or worse.