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Now that James Foley has been confirmed as the director of Fifty Shades Darker, fans can exhale a sigh of relief knowing the project is really beginning to come together, just months before the sequel is set to start shooting. But pivotal roles have yet to be cast and Rita Ora's announcement at iHeartRadio Music Fest about Fifty Shades Darker just makes us both happy and confused.
Ora famously had just four lines when she played Mia Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey -- possibly because her character doesn't really, truly develop until the sequel (I like her too much to suspect she was cut because her acting skills weren't up to snuff). Ora reportedly took the role very seriously and hired an acting coach to help her nail it -- kudos to her for not expecting to be treated like royalty on set simply because she has a successful singing career. She has been adamant about how stoked she'd be if she were asked to return to Fifty Shades Darker, but the last we heard, the official offer hadn't been made yet.
You'd never know that from her iHeartRadio interview with Billboard, in which she reportedly said the following: "I'm so happy to be a part of this franchise ... and this transformation of … imagination of sex."
More from The Stir: Rita Ora's 'Fifty Shades Darker' Announcement Leaves Fans More Confused Than Ever
The film's IMDB page lists Ora as Mia Grey, but the thing most fans are finding confusing is that an official announcement of her return has never been made. So is she definitely joining the cast or not?
You can bet the day we find out that Ian Somerhalder has been cast as Jack Hyde (just a lucky guess) is going to be a big one -- and the casting of Mrs. Robinson and Leila Williams (Alexis Bledel, please) are also going to make the news. So why so quiet about Rita? Was it just a given all along that she would return? An official announcement would be nice, guys. You can tell Rita's heart is all in, which means she'll give Mia all that she's got. I want to be excited for her -- but a bit of excitement on the part of Fifty Shades would be nice!
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