Director Sam Taylor-Johnson has had her fill of bondage, dominance and sadomasochism, and will not return for to helm the "Fifty Shades of Grey" sequel.
"While I will not be returning to direct the sequels, I wish nothing but success to whosoever takes on the exciting challenges of films two and three," Taylor-Johnson said in a statement on March 25 (via The Hollywood Reporter). "Directing Fifty Shades of Grey has been an intense and incredible journey for which I am hugely grateful. I have Universal to thank for that. I forged close and lasting relationships with the cast, producers and crew and most especially, with Dakota and Jamie."
"Fifty Shades," starring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, grossed more than $558 million at the box office worldwide. Based on the best-selling E. L. James novel, the movie also had the biggest February opening in history, earning $85 million domestically over its first weekend.
Disagreements between Taylor-Johnson and author James may have played into the director's decision to leave the successful franchise. The director admitted that the two butted heads through most of the production.
"We'd often clash and have to find a way to work through that to get to some sort of resolution," Taylor-Johnson told The Hollywood Reporter in February. "She would be the first to say as well that it was not easy. It was not easy. But we got there. I think both of us felt it was an incredibly painful process."
Screenwriter Kelly Marcel, who wrote the first movie, also left the franchise. Universal has not announced the premiere date for the next installment.
