Fifty Shades: Books vs. Movies
The three Fifty Shades movies, released between 2015 and 2018, are adapted from E. L. James's three books, published between 2011 and 2012. Each book has its own page here and this page is where you vote on the series as a whole.
From Books Adapted
How much of the book it covers
Three movies cover the original trilogy
Each of James' original three novels has a movie of its own. The third book was not split into two movies.
| Movie | Book adapted |
|---|---|
| Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) | The main story of Fifty Shades of Grey, book 1. |
| Fifty Shades Darker (2017) | Fifty Shades Darker, book 2. Some incidents were held over for the next movie. |
| Fifty Shades Freed (2018) | Fifty Shades Freed, book 3, with some incidents moved from book 2. It completes the trilogy. |
Darker and Freed were filmed together. Screenwriter Niall Leonard said he moved incidents between the two books' stories to keep the movies moving, so their boundaries are not exact matches for the books.
Three later books tell Christian's side
Grey, Darker and Freed revisit the original trilogy from Christian's point of view. They cover the stories of Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed, respectively.
These are companion retellings, not three further adventures after the original trilogy. They have not received separate movie adaptations.
What changed from the book
Ana's inner goddess is absent from the first movie
The first book gives Ana an internal companion she calls her inner goddess. That running account of her desires does not appear in the movie.
James remained closely involved in the adaptation. Production designer David Wasco told TIME that she helped determine the layout of the Red Room and objected to details that did not fit her understanding of Christian, including mirrors in his bathroom.
Every movie has its own page
Vote on them one at a time: each has its own question, results and comments.
- Book 1
Fifty Shades of GreyMovie, 2015 · Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson · 2 hr 5 minFrom Fifty Shades of Grey · 2011 · 514 pagesSam Taylor-Johnson’s Fifty Shades of Grey (2015) is based on E. L. James’s 2011 novel. An interview brings Ana Steele into a relationship with Christian Grey, whose expectations differ sharply from her own.Which was better? Vote - Book 2
Fifty Shades DarkerMovie, 2017 · Directed by James Foley · 1 hr 58 minFrom Fifty Shades Darker · 2012 · 544 pagesJames Foley’s Fifty Shades Darker (2017) adapts E. L. James’s 2012 novel. Ana and Christian attempt a new arrangement, but people from his past complicate their reunion.Which was better? Vote - Book 3
Fifty Shades FreedMovie, 2018 · Directed by James Foley · 1 hr 45 minFrom Fifty Shades Freed · 2012 · 608 pagesJames Foley’s Fifty Shades Freed (2018) adapts E. L. James’s 2012 novel. Newly married Ana and Christian face a threat from her former boss while still negotiating the terms of their life together.Which was better? Vote
The books, in order
Details
- Author
- E. L. James
- Year
- 2011
- Pages
- 514
- Audiobook length
- 19 hr 44 min
- Narrator
- Savannah Peachwood, see all
- Series
- Fifty Shades, book 1
Anastasia Steele interviews businessman Christian Grey as a favor to her roommate and finds herself drawn into a relationship for which she has little experience. Christian wants intimacy governed by detailed rules, while Ana hopes for affection he is reluctant to offer. As she considers his proposal, she has to work out which desires are her own and which concessions she is unwilling to make.
Details
- Author
- E. L. James
- Year
- 2012
- Pages
- 544
- Audiobook length
- 20 hr 25 min
- Narrator
- Savannah Peachwood, see all
- Series
- Fifty Shades, book 2
Ana starts a job at a Seattle publisher after leaving Christian, but distance has not ended their attachment. When he proposes trying again without the arrangement that drove her away, she agrees to explore a relationship on different terms. Learning more about his earlier life brings her into contact with women who remain involved in it, while his concern for her safety repeatedly becomes an argument about control.
Details
- Author
- E. L. James
- Year
- 2012
- Pages
- 608
- Audiobook length
- 19 hr 54 min
- Narrator
- Savannah Peachwood, see all
- Series
- Fifty Shades, book 3
Marriage gives Ana a place in Christian’s family and a life of extraordinary wealth, but it does not settle their disagreements over work, privacy, or independence. She wants to make decisions as his partner rather than accept protection on his terms. Threats connected to her former employer bring those tensions into their home, where questions about Christian’s past remain unresolved.
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