'Fifty Shades Of Grey' Is Switching Genres

If you're a fan of the mind-numbingly popular Fifty Shades of Grey franchise, but didn't make it all the way through the trilogy book series, then this might come as a surprise to you. According to Donna Langley of Universal Pictures, Fifty Shades Of Grey's sequel will be a thriller. The film, called Fifty Shades Darker, is slated to be released on Valentine's Day in 2017, and will have a script that will be written by E. L. James' husband Niall Leonard. The first film in the series was a straight-up erotic romance — a erotic romantic comedy at times, if you want to get particular — but there weren't many thriller-esque themes to be found in the girl meets boy with "singular tastes" plot. So what changes for Fifty Shades Darker?

As you might have learned from Twilight, the notorious source work for the fanfiction that would become the book that is now the movie Fifty Shades of Grey, the grand love story of Christian Grey and Ana Steele can only drive a two hour film for so long. The book series has three parts to it, and Ana and Christian already got the meeting and falling in love part down. In order to carry on the story into the sequel and into the thrilling conclusion, other plot points were inevitably introduced. It's these new plot points that make Fifty Shades Darker, in Langley's own words, "more of a thriller."

Spoilers ahead. For example, Fifty Shades Darker introduces the character of Jack Hyde, a "known philanderer" who harasses his assistants and attempts to blackmail Ana into being with him. There's also a subplot in which Ana is stalked by Leila Williams, who was one of the many, many women who stepped into the role of submissive before Ana entered Christian's life. And, speaking of Christian's life, someone also tries to kill him, but their identity remains a mystery to Christian and Ana until Fifty Shades Freed.

So, yeah, Fifty Shades Darker has a lot more going on in it than the comparatively simple plot from Fifty Shades of Grey. Ana and Christian have met. Ana and Christian have fallen in love. Ana and Christian have broken up. Now, it's time for Ana and Christian to go through a roller coaster ride of thrilling events in order to get back together and to then stay together — because the world isn't going to make it easy for a love like theirs to last. Is it February 2017 yet?

Image: Universal Pictures (2)