Fifty Shades sequels scheduled to shoot back-to-back

With all the drama that has accompanied the Fifty Shades franchise, it seems only practical that Universal has chosen to film the two sequels back-to-back with the same director. EW has confirmed that helmer James Foley (Glengarry Glen Ross), who most recently directed a series of House of Cards episodes, will have an extended production schedule to fit in both Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, which are due to land in theaters on Feb. 10, 2017 and Feb. 9, 2018, respectively.

The Wrap first reported the news.

Production on the two movies, based on the uber-best sellers by E L James, is set to begin next year with Dakota Johnson reprising her role as Anastasia Steele, an innocent recent college grad who is engaged in an erotic, and dangerous, relationship with tech billionaire and BDSM fan, Christian Grey, played by Jamie Dornan.

The first iteration of the series grossed over $570 million worldwide, yet the internal strife on the first production saw director Sam Taylor-Johnson leave the series. Foley took over the reins earlier this year with Niall Leonard, James’ husband, handling screenwriting duties.