A new report from a U.K. tabloid claims that "Fifty Shades of Grey" director Sam Taylor-Johnson won't be back for the film's sequels, citing her disagreements with the author behind the blockbuster book series.

According to The Sun, the relationship between Taylor-Johnson and author E.L. James was so fraught with tension that the director decided it was best not to move forward on the franchise's two sequels. Taylor-Johnson made no secret in recent weeks that she disagreed with some of James's decisions regarding the film, revealing in several interviews that they regularly clashed on set, and that she didn't approve of James's seemingly carte blanche control over the final product.

"All the biggest arguments were about the sex scenes in the film," a source told The Sun. "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."

And while "Fifty Shades" has become an international box office sensation, setting records both domestically and abroad, apparently that success -- and Universal's greenlighting of the book's two sequels, "Fifty Shades Darker" and "Fifty Shades Freed," before the first flick even hit theaters -- is not enough to keep Taylor-Johnson on board.

"[Taylor-Johnson] wants out and Universal knows that's the right decision," the same source told The Sun. "Her relationship with Erika has become absolutely toxic – they despise each other and blame each other for the problems with the film."

The Sun reached out to Universal for a response, but the studio only said that no decisions about the sequels had been made so far. We'll have to wait for official word about the situation, but based on Taylor-Johnson's previous comments, we think it's safe to assume this rumor is right.

[via: The Sun, h/t NME]

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