Seattle’s sexiest (and fictional) are-they-or-aren’t-they couple will return to the big screen on Feb 9 in Fifty Shades Darker, the second instalment in the big-screen adaptation of the popular erotic-novel franchise.
It’s been two years since we last saw Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) though, and nearly five since Darker‘s source material was published.
Here’s a brief refresher on everything that went down in the film adaption of Fifty Shades of Grey, and what you can expect from round two.
Fifty Shades of Grey
Fans who flocked to the cinema on Valentine’s Day 2015 were treated to a tale about a Washington State University senior tasked with interviewing a hotshot West Coast billionaire for the school’s student newspaper – a job originally meant to be handled by her roommate, who’d fallen ill.
Upon meeting the elusive billionaire – Grey – Miss Steele is smitten. Soon, he begins to shower her with over-the-top gifts and rescues her after a night of drinking gone awry. As Ana begins to anticipate a romance, Christian drops a bomb: He’ll only be with her under contract as dominant and submissive.
Though Christian introduces Ana to his family and drops everything to surprise her while she’s visiting her mother, his interest still lies far from a traditional relationship. After a night of intense sexual punishment, Ana decides it’s too much for her to handle and leaves a dejected Christian alone, again, in his luxurious bachelor pad.
Fifty Shades Darker
Don’t worry: Ana and Christian’s big split doesn’t last long. In fact, as Ana settles into her new publishing job, Christian launches major efforts to woo her back – without even an NDA on the table.
Universal Pictures
Without giving too much away, the film promises life-threatening twists and turns (be wary of riding in a helicopter) – and plenty of NSFW moments.
From the sexy masquerade ball – where Ana first meets Christian’s much-older sexual mentor, Elena Lincoln (played by the incomparable Kim Basinger) – to a panty-free elevator ride, not all of Christian and Anna’s past naughtiness goes by the wayside with the new arrangement.
The film also introduces a slew of new characters in addition to Basinger’s. Aussie actress Bella Heathcote steps in as Christian’s ex-girlfriend Leila Williams, and Eric Johnson appears as Ana’s boss, Jack Hyde.
Returning stars include singer Rita Ora as Christian’s sister and Marcia Gay Harden as his mother, as well as Eloise Mumford as Ana’s best friend and Victor Rasuk as pal José.
The film also promises a top-notch soundtrack. So far, Taylor Swift and Zayn Malik have released a saucy track called, “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” – complete with a music video that would certainly be Christian Grey-approved.
Miguel also released a sensual cover of Beyoncé’s “Crazy In Love” for the flick.
Fifty Shades Darker hits cinemas on Friday, Feb 9 – just in time for Valentine’s Day.