Will Author E.L. James Be Penning The Screenplay For 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Sequels?

Fifty Shades of Grey might be continuing its domination of the box office this weekend, but it seems that announcing the film’s sequels has become a much trickier business for studio Universal.

‘Sources close to the project don’t expect director Sam Taylor-Johnson or screenwriter Kelly Marcel to be back for the second instalment, though reps for the studio say no official decisions have been made,’ the site continues.

However a spokesperson for Universal told Variety, “The studio had always intended to sit down with the author after the film opened and discuss next steps, and that has not yet happened.”

Taylor-Johnson has previously spoken of the problems she had with James during production, telling Variety in January, “We disagreed a lot.”

More: 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Crushes The Box Office

“She created these characters and the story. I was trying to create a film experience that would honour the book but at the same time give us a fresh perspective. That was difficult for her. We’d battle things out. I think you could say we crossed every scenario through our battles.”

The real bad news for Fifty Shades fans is that because of the problems, production on Fifty Shades Darker probably won’t get under way until the first quarter of 2016. Meaning fans may have to wait until late 2016 or the first quarter of 2017 for the sequel.

Sadly it seems Valentines Day 2016 is looking more and more likely to be a Fifty Shades-less holiday.