'Fifty Shades Darker' release date, news: Film gets R rating from MPAA

(Facebook/fiftyshadesmovies)"Fifty Shades Darker" will hit theaters on Feb. 10, 2017.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) has officially given "Fifty Shades Darker" an R rating. Much like its predecessor, "Fifty Shades of Grey," the upcoming film has been rated R for "strong erotic sexual content, some graphic nudity, and language."

According to ComingSoon, fans were initially concerned that the second film would not have the same rating because Universal Pictures might have ordered less intense scenes. However, they can breathe a sigh of relief as it seems the film has no intention of slowing down or softening the plot. 

Famous for it's erotic genre, the film franchise was adapted from a novel series of the same name by E. L. James. Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson play the two leads in the film, Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, respectively.

However, there have been some reports saying that Dornan may be replaced by another Hollywood heartthrob, Ian Somerhalder of "The Vampire Diaries." The rumor stems from Dornan apparently wanting to exit the franchise after the second film. Somerhalder is said to be taking over his role in the third film, "Fifty Shades Freed," which will hit theaters in 2018.

This rumor has not been confirmed so far, though, so it remains to be seen if there is any truth to it at all. For this reason, readers should take this news with a grain of salt.

Meanwhile, another rumor concerning Dornan and his wife, Amelia Warner, has been proven false. Previously, there was some talk of Warner becoming jealous of Dornan's sexy scenes with Johnson, and there were even some speculations going around that the two co-stars had apparently taken their romance off-screen as well. However, these rumors have since been quashed.

Fans who would like to experience the film firsthand may soon get their wish as Deadline reveals that virtual reality content will be incorporated into the marketing and promotion of the movie.

"Yeah, there's marketing materials for behind-the scenes, where after we finished shooting for the day, the actors would stay over and VR people would re-create a facsimile of the scene," director James Foley said.

"Fifty Shades Darker" is set to premiere on Feb. 10, 2017.

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