Sam directed the film adaptation of the erotic novel ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, which hit cinemas last month, starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan as Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey.
However, with two sequels ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ and ‘Fifty Shades Freed’ in the pipeline, she has now announced that she is stepping down, and will let someone else take the helm on the second and third films in the series.
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Sam Taylor-Johnson poses with the stars of 'Fifty Shades'
"I have Universal to thank for that. I forged close and lasting relationships with the cast, producers and crew and most especially, with Dakota and Jamie.
"While I will not be returning to direct the sequels, I wish nothing but success to whosoever takes on the exciting challenges of films two and three."
“Literally, every single aspect of it, which it’s great to have that wealth of material there, but at the same time, it was a case of, ‘now look just leave me to the vision that I have because I need to also create to take it to another place.’
“I’m not saying she wasn’t right to be like that, but it was difficult.”
'Fifty Shades Of Grey': Where Do You Know The Cast From?
Jamie Dornan (Christian Grey)(01 of10)
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Let's start with the obvious, shall we?Leading man Jamie Dornan is probably best known for his role in 'The Fall', but you might recognise him from the film 'Marie Antoinette' or the TV series 'Once Upon A Time', where he played The Huntsman.That said, you just might have seen his impressive Calvin Klein underwear ad campaign a few years ago too... (credit:Jon Kopaloff via Getty Images)
Dakota Johnson (Anastasia Steele)(02 of10)
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Daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith, Dakota starred in 'The Social Network' and '21 Jump Street' prior to landing the part of the leading lady in 'Fifty Shades'.She also starred in the final episode of the US 'Office', and - like her co-star Jamie Dornan - has also done some modelling work. (credit:Gardiner Anderson/Bauer-Griffin via Getty Images)
Eloise Mumford (Kate Kavanagh)(03 of10)
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Fresh from her roles in TV shows 'Lone Star' and 'The River', Eloise has landed her biggest role to date as Anastasia's roommate and confidante, Kate. (credit:Jim Spellman via Getty Images)
Jennifer Ehle (Carla Wilkes)(04 of10)
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Over the course of her career, Jennifer has bagged two Tony Awards for her roles in 'The Real Thing' and 'The Coast Of Utopia'. She was also awarded the Best Actress TV Bafta in 1996, for her portrayal of Elizabeth Bennet in 'Pride and Prejudice'.More recently, Jennifer starred opposite Colin Firth in 'The King's Speech', and also nabbed roles in 'Contagion' and 'Zero Dark Thirty'. She's playing Ana's loving but often-absent mum in 'Fifty Shades'. (credit:ROBYN BECK via Getty Images)
Victor Rasuk (José Rodriguez)(05 of10)
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One of Victor's biggest pre-'Fifty Shades' roles was in skating film 'Lords of Dogtown'. A method actor, Victor tried to remain in character at all times, leading to him fracturing one of his orbital bones while skating in his spare time. Ouchie.He also appeared in 'Godzilla' last year, as well as the Steve Jobs biopic, 'Jobs', where he played Bill Fernandez. (credit:Craig Barritt via Getty Images)
Luke Grimes (Elliott Grey)(06 of10)
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You might recognise handsome American actor Luke Grimes from his part in 'American Sniper', or his recurring role in the American drama 'Brothers And Sisters', where he played Ryan Lafferty.He'll be playing Christian Grey's adopted brother Elliott in the new movie. (credit:Rindoff/Dufour via Getty Images)
Rita Ora (Mia Grey)(07 of10)
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Never heard of her. Next. (credit:Steve Granitz via Getty Images)
Marcia Gay Harden (Grace Trevelyan Grey)(08 of10)
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Despite having a relatively small role, Oscar-winning actress Marcia probably has the most impressive CV of all of the 'Fifty Shades' stars.Some of the films she's starred in include 'Meet Joe Black', 'The First Wives Club', 'Whip it' and 'Pollock', which bagged her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. (credit:Michael Tran via Getty Images)
Dylan Neal (Bob Adams)(09 of10)
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Dylan Neal will be playing Anastasia's stepdad and main father figure and source of guidance, Bob.After leaving American soap opera 'The Bold and the Beautiful' after two years, he went on to star in 'Sabrina The Teenage Witch' (as Sabrina's last ever love interest), 'Dawson's Creek' and, more recently, 'Bones'. (credit:Angela Weiss via Getty Images)
Max Martini (Jason Taylor)(10 of10)
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Not to be confused with the similarly-named Grammy-winning pop producer, Max Martini will be playing Christian Grey's faithful head of security, Taylor, in 'Fifty Shades'.His credits include three years in 'The Unit', and an important role in 'Pacific Rim', where he played Hercules Hansen. (credit:Araya Diaz via Getty Images)