Hollywood Breakdown
'Fifty Shades of Grey' Expected to Dominate the Box Office
The first movie in the trilogy based on EL James' books will open to huge numbers this weekend. In the making of the film, power dynamics weren't just a part of the on-screen performances, James and director Sam Taylor-Johnson had their own set of arguments behind the scenes.
By Kim Masters • • 3m ListenFifty Shades of Grey has already broken records, and it hasn't even opened yet. The film based on EL James' book of the same title has sold the most advance tickets ever for a Valentine's Day Weekend release. James' story originally started as Twilight fan fiction, and after her books became international bestsellers, studios went into an all-out bidding war for the film rights. Universal walked away from that war the winner, and they've given James unprecedented control for an author on a movie set. James and director Sam Taylor-Johnson had frequent clashes creating the film, stemming from James getting the final say on everything from wardrobe to dialogue to the final word of the film's last scene. While stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan have signed on to be in all three Fifty Shades movies, it doesn't look like Taylor-Johnson will be back for the next one.
