Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James has enlisted the help of her husband for the movie sequel. Niall Leonard will write the screenplay for Fifty Shades Darker, a source told The Hollywood Reporter.
"Niall is an outstanding writer in his own right, with multiple established credits, and we are lucky to have him join Team Fifty," said the film's producer Michael De Luca.
The author's husband is an established writer himself and has written for TV shows including Wire in the Blood. He also worked on the script for the first Fifty Shades of Grey film but was not credited.
© Photo: Getty ImagesNiall Leonard will work on the Fifty Shades sequel with his wife E.L. James
The news follows Sam Taylor-Johnson's announcement that she would not be returning to direct the film's sequels.
"Directing Fifty Shades of Grey has been an intense and incredible journey for which I'm hugely grateful," Sam told E! News. "I have Universal to thank for that. I forged close and lasting relationships with the cast, producers and crew and most especially with Dakota (Johnson) and Jamie (Dornan).
"While I will not be returning to direct the sequels, I wish nothing but success to whosoever takes on the exciting challenge of films two and three."
© Photo: Getty ImagesE.L. James is the author of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy
E.L James, whose real name is Erika Leonard, has kept strong creative control over the film adaptations of her book trilogy – and reportedly clashed with Sam during filming.
"I'm not going to lie," Sam told Porter Magazine. "We definitely fought, but they were creative fights and we would resolve them. We would have proper on-set barneys, and I'm not confrontational, but it was about finding a way between the two of us, satisfying her vision of what she had written as well as my need to visualise this person on the screen, but, you know, we got there."
The adaptation of E.L James' second novel is set for release in 2016.
