The "Fifty Shades of Grey" franchise, despite its continuing success at the box office, has been a dealt a blow. Director Sam Taylor-Johnson has left the franchise and will not direct the two other films.

In a statement released exclusively to Deadline, Taylor-Johnson confirmed rumors that she will be leaving the multi-million dollar movie franchise and will not direct the sequel, "Fifty Shades Darker."

"Directing 'Fifty Shades Of Grey' has been an intense and incredible journey for which I am hugely grateful. 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," she explained.

"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."

It was assumed that Taylor-Johnson would not direct the other films as it had been circulating that she and "Fifty Shades" author E.L. James constantly clashed over the movie's content.

James' control over the content made writer Kelly Marcel also leave the franchise, fueling rumors that James would be more involved in the sequel's script.

However, producer Dana Brunetti of Trigger Street Productions brushed off the quarrel, according to the Hollywood Reporter, saying: "people are always going to disagree"

He blamed the news around the rumors on the media for fueling the fire.

"This got blown out of proportion because anything with 'Fifty Shades' in the headline got attention. Big whoop," he said. "There's disagreements every f---ing day, every setup, every shot. The press just ran with this and blew it into a much bigger issue than it ever was.

However, Universal Pictures has a short time to find a replacement as the movie is set to be released in 2016.

Entertainment Weekly posits the possibility that the replacement will be a less known director or someone who has not worked in some time, using the sequel to reemerge into the limelight.