Fifty Shades Freed Adds Arielle Kebbel

Arielle Kebbel will play Gia Matteo in the final chapter of the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy

Continuing a flurry of recent casting announcements tied to the franchise, The Hollywood Reporter today brings word that Ballers star Arielle Kebbel has signed on for Fifty Shades Freed. According to the trade, she’ll play Gia Matteo, an architect to whom Anastasia gives the nickname “Miss-Provocative-And-Unfortunately-Good-At-Her-Job.”

An erotically charged romance, the Fifty Shades of Grey franchise has capitalized on it’s naughty-but-not-too-naughty aesthetic to the tune of more than $570 million worldwide. On-set conflict between author E L James and the first film’s director Sam Taylor-Johnson, however, led to Taylor-Johnson and screenwriter Kelly Marcel opting not return for the sequel. James Foley will instead direct Fifty Shades Darker, which will be penned by E L James’ husband, Niall Leonard.

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson are set to return as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in both Fifty Shades Darker and the third film, Fifty Shades Freed. Kim Basinger will play Elena Lincoln, who introduced Grey to the world of BDSM. Expanding upon the events set in motion in Fifty Shades of Grey, the films will again aim to become the motion-picture events for Valentine’s Day 2017 and 2018. Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti, alongside E L James, the creator of the series, also return to produce.

Arielle Kebbel, who has also made repeat appearances on shows like The Vampire Diaries, UnREAL and The League, has also been seen on the big screen in films like The Uninvited and Think Like a Man. She’s slated to headline the upcoming indie romantic comedy, Another Time.

What do you think of Arielle Kebbel as Gia Matteo? Was there anyone else you would have picked for the role? Let us know in the comments below!

(Photo credit: Brian To / WENN.com)