‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Latest News: Erotica Sequels to be Filmed at the Same Time?

The sequels to "Fifty Shades of Grey," "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed," might be filmed at the same time, rumors are claiming.

The rumors surfaced shortly after other reports stated that James Foley was in negotiations to direct both movies in the erotica series about the BDSM relationship between Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) and Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson).

If Universal Pictures can get the "House of Cards" director on board for both movies, they will try to get them done at the same time in order to save production money. This is not the first time that two movies have been filmed at the same time. The highly successful movie franchises, "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" also filmed the movies simultaneously.

Production for "Fifty Shades Darker" is expected to begin in January. Filming for "Fifty Shades Freed" could start a few months later.

Aside from hiring a director, the movies still need to fill the roles of key characters, James Hyde, Dr. Flynn, Elena Lincoln/ Mrs. Robinson and Leila Williams. There are currently no frontrunners for Hyde, who is Steele's boss, or Dr. Flynn. For months, Henry Cavill was rumored to be playing Hyde. Cavill, however, has dispelled the rumors.

For the female characters, on the other hand, Charlize Theron has been rumored to play Lincoln whereas Cara Delevingne and Alexis Bledel have been linked to Williams.

"Fifty Shades Darker" comes out on Feb. 10, 2017. "Fifty Shades Freed" hits theaters in 2018.