The director of Fifty Shades of Grey, Sam Taylor-Johnson, could pull out of the helming the movie's sequels. According to The Sun, a film insider said the director's working relationship with original author E.L James - real name Erika Mitchell - has become "toxic".

Fifty Shades of GreyDakota Johnson plays Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades of Grey

The source said: "Sam won't be back for the Fifty Shades sequels. She wants out and Universal knows that's the right decision.

"Her relationship with Erika has become toxic. They despise each other and blame each other for the problems with the film.

"All the biggest arguments were about the sex scenes in the film. Erika wanted the movie to be loyal to the book and much more explicit."

"But Sam pushed back because she wanted the movie to be more than just a collection of S&M scenes."

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The claims are refuted by Johnson and Universal with both saying that the studio is yet to officially green-light a sequel. It may not have 'officially' committed to more Fifty Shades films but after its recent box-office haul, that remains a mere formality.

Last week, the Hollywood Reporter revealed that Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan had already signed on to star in all three films. Taylor-Johnson has only signed on for one.

"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'd written as well as my need to visualise this person on screen, but, you know, we got there," the director previously said of her disagreements with James.?

"She will be the first to say she found it very difficult to give up control."

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