The ending to the theatrical cut of Sam Taylor-Johnson’s Fifty Shades of Grey was… abrupt. It was a conscious, open-ended conclusion to an emotional film, and it differed from the book on which it was based. News recently surfaced that an alternate ending to Fifty Shades of Grey would appear on the DVD, and now we know what fans can see.
MTV broke down the scene, available now on iTunes, and traced the steps of both Ana (Dakota Johnson) and Christian (Jamie Dornan) after the elevator doors closed. Their reports says that additional footage shows the couple going about their normal day-to-day lives, only separate from each other. Christian struggles to maintain focus during what looks to be an important business meeting. Anastasia cries a lot, locked in a "fetal position," according to MTV. But all hope is not lost. Ana reportedly sends Christian a toy version of the plane that the duo flew when he stalked affectionately followed her to Georgia. She attaches a note stating, "This reminded me of a happy time." So there’s an upbeat look ahead to what’s sure to be two successful sequels.
But will those movies happen? Right now, on paper, Fifty Shades Darker is a done deal. Universal announced at CinemaCon that parts two and three in this series were going to come out within one year of each other. Darker would reach theaters on Feb. 10, 2017, while Fifty Shades Freed would stimulate audiences on February 9, 2018.
But Fifty Shades Darker, at the moment, needs a new director, after Sam Taylor-Johnson walked back in March, for various reasons. There were reports of clashes between the director and author E.L. James – whose husband, coincidentally, will write the screenplay for the next film. And there were reports of tension between the leads on set, leaving some to wonder if the series would find a way to continue, despite raking it boatloads of cash over the Valentine’s Day season.
I actually expect Fifty Shades of Grey to do extremely well on home video, as people who might have been embarrassed to see it in a theater (and let themselves get immersed in the experience) will be more willing to rent the adaptation and make a romantic evening out of it. Well, not romantic. Painful. At least they’ll get an alternate ending.
