James Foley officially offered 'Fifty Shades Darker'

The shades of grey may be ever darker, but who'll fill the director's chair for the Fifty Shades of Grey sequel is starting to look more and more clear. Following speculation two weeks prior suggesting House of Cards director James Foley was in line to direct the new movie, new reports reveal an offer has officially been placed.

The update comes from Variety. The director, also behind Glengarry Glen Ross and episodes of Hannibal and Wayward Pines, isn't signed on to take the job, but the studio expect negotiations to start shortly. They want to get the ball rolling in time for production to start early next year for its Valentine's Day 2017 release. Although directors like Tayna Wexler (Hysteria) and Mark Pellington (I Melt With You) were also sought, Foley was their top choice.

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson are signed to return in their lead roles, and author E.L. James, Michael De Luca and Dana Bruentti also come back as producers. But they're among the few returning from the original. Screenwriter Kelly Marcel was replaced by James' husband, Niall Leonard, but Marcel isn't complaining, and, of course, Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson isn't back after her own dilemmas making the first movie. The studio is hoping to get more yes men/women on board for this charade.

Image courtesy of INFphoto.com

{"code":"internal_server_error","message":"

There has been a critical error on your website.<\/p>

Learn more about debugging in WordPress.<\/a><\/p>","data":{"status":500},"additional_errors":[]}