“Fifty Shades Darker” Update: James Foley Officially Offered Director Job

James Foley, who has been linked to "Fifty Shades Darker," the sequel to "Fifty Shades of Grey," has officially been offered the director job, Variety reported. Foley, 61, whose most recent project was Netflix's "House of Cards," has been linked to the erotica sequel for two weeks.

Variety added that Foley is now in the negotiation process with Universal Pictures. There were rumors that he would be brought on for both sequels, "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed" with the possibility of shooting the movies simultaneously. The movies are based from E.L. James' book series.

Actors Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson will be reprising their roles as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, respectively. Their contract details have not been released. However, rumors claimed that both actors asked for significantly more money especially after "Fifty Shades of Grey," which was directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, did extremely well in the box office. The romance flick has brought in nearly $570 million worldwide. Dornan had also allegedly offered more than one million to go full frontal.

After the studio gets a director on board, roles for new characters should be filled very soon. Charlize Theron has been rumored to play Elena Lincoln/Mrs. Robinson for some time now. The character of Leila Williams was most recently linked to Alexis Bledel. The role was previously linked to "Paper Towns" actress, Cara Delevingne. Jack Hyde, Steele's boss, was linked to British hunk, Henry Cavill for some time until Cavill dispelled the rumors.

"Fifty Shades Darker" will reportedly be a much darker film than "Fifty Shades of Grey." The sequel, whose script was written by James' husband, Niall Leonard, will also reportedly include more intimate scenes between Grey and Steele. Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti will be producing.

"Fifty Shades Darker" is scheduled to hit theaters on Feb. 10, 2017. Production is expected to start early next year.