Fifty Shades of Grey's Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson Asking for US$40 Million Each to Star in Sequel

Mar 17, 2015 11:25 PM EDT

Actors Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan (L) arrive for the screening of the movie 'Fifty Shades of Grey' at the 65th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin February 11, 2015. REUTERS/Stefanie Loos

"Fifty Shades of Grey" was a big hit in the box office, so it's no surprise that the stars of the film are focusing on doing the movie's sequel, "Fifty Shades Darker." Jamie Dornan who plays Christian Grey and Dakota Johnson who plays Anastasia Steele just recently confirmed that they will return to the second part of E.L. James controversial trilogy. However, a lot of news reports claim that they had just increased their price.

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With the success of the movie, both Jamie and Dakota are currently renegotiating their respective contracts and are seeking for a huge raise. The actors were reportedly paid US$250,000 each to star in the first film, but now, sources said that they are hoping to earn a seven-figure salary.

According to OK! Magazine, the stars are starting their negotiations at US$20 million, though they hope to earn double the amount.

Despite the bad reviews and complaints that there was no chemistry between Jamie and Dakota, Fifty Shades of Grey grossed US$546.4 million. And while the stars were given bonuses thanks to the movie's success, they reportedly weren't compensated from the backend.

A lot of insiders say that it's quite expected and already anticipated for actors, who star in franchise movies, to ask for a high pay raise to star in the next movie. What's unusual though is for newcomers to be given such high payouts. The source cited Jennifer Lawrence as an example. The Hunger Games star, who was fairly new at the acting game that time, played the role of "Katniss Everdeen" for US$500,000 in the first movie. After learning about the success of the film, she asked for US$10 million to star in the second.

And while the studio is still preparing for the start of "Fifty Shades Darker's" production, Jamie and Dakota are spending time on other projects. Jamie can be seen next on "Anthropoid," "The Fall" and "The 9^th Life of Louis Drax." While Dakota has secured roles in "Black Mass" and "Chloe and Theo."

TagsFifty Shades of Grey, Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Fifty Shades Darker