‘Fifty Shades Darker’ Rumors: E.L. James Teases Fans With New Photo

Don’t put your whips away just yet, “Fifty Shades” fans, because it looks like the franchise’s sequel, “Fifty Shades Darker,” will make its way to the silver screen sooner than we thought! On Wednesday afternoon, E.L. James, mastermind behind the best-selling romance novels, took to Instagram to tease fans about the upcoming film, which is speculated to premiere in 2017.

The picture, which you can see here, shows James in the pearly white hallways of Comcast/NBCUniversal, the studio behind the blockbuster film. Could this photo be teasing the first productions signs of the "Fifty Shades of Grey" sequel? The photo was simply captioned with a smiley face -- and you can bet that’s exactly how fans reacted to the enticing image. James' followers immediately began to comment on the picture, assuming that the author was in the building to discuss the second installment.

“Fifty Shades Darker” was originally confirmed by the film’s director, Sam Taylor-Johnson, who confessed during a screening for the first flick that there would be not one, but two “Fifty Shades” sequels! Needless to say, fans of the franchise freaked out -- especially when Jamie Dornan, 32, and Dakota Johnson, 25, announced they would be reprising their roles as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in the future films.

"Jamie is delighted that the film is breaking box office records worldwide and whilst the studio has not made any formal announcements about sequels, he is looking forward to making the next film," Dornan's rep told People magazine in February following rumors that the actor would be exciting the blockbuster franchise.

The novel “Fifty Shades Darker,” which was released in 2012, follows the story of Christian (Dornan) and Ana (Johnson) as they rekindle their relationship after a brief separation. This is also the book where everyone’s favorite BDSM-loving twosome gets engaged.

Audiences can also anticipate the arrival of “Fifty Shades” villain Elena Lincoln, Christian’s longtime friend and business partner who Ana refers to as Mrs. Robinson -- a nicknamed derived from the 1967 film “The Graduate.” According to the novel, Mrs. Robinson had an intense affair with Christian when he was 15-years-old and was the one who introduced him to the BDSM lifestyle.

What are you most excited to see in the new “Fifty Shades” movie? Sound off with your thoughts on “Fifty Shades Darker” in the comments section below.