ENTERTAINMENT

Dates announced for 'Fifty Shades of Grey' sequels, 'Fast & Furious 8'

The Associated Press Published Thursday, April 23, 2015 11:20AM EDT Last Updated Thursday, April 23, 2015 10:37PM EDT

'Fifty Shades of Grey' author E L James at a book signing in Coral Gables, Fla., on April 29, 2012. (AP / Jeffrey M. Boan)

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LAS VEGAS -- Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele are returning to the big screen.

Universal Pictures said Thursday the "Fifty Shades of Grey" stars will reprise their roles in the sequels "Fifty Shades Darker" to be released on Feb. 10, 2017, and "Fifty Shades Freed" on Feb. 9, 2018.

The announcement was made at CinemaCon, a gathering of movie exhibitors in Las Vegas.

The first film opened this year on Valentine's Day weekend and became one of the biggest R-rated openings ever. It has grossed $568 million worldwide.

Stars Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan are set to return for the films. Author E.L. James's husband will write the screenplay for "Darker."

Vin Diesel announced that the 8th installment in the "Fast & Furious" series will be released on April 14, 2017.