First Photo of Jamie Dornan in 'Fifty Shades Darker' has been released

LAS VEGAS, April 24 (UPI) -- Universal Pictures announced yesterday that the release date for Fifty Shades Darker will be Feb. 10, 2017 and Fifty Shades Freed will be in theaters Feb. 9, 2018.

The studio knew the wait would be hard enough, so they teased fans with the first image of Jamie Dornan in Fifty Shades Darker on Friday at CinemaCon.

The photo posted on the Fifty Shades of Grey Facebook page shows Dornan donning a black mask, dressed in a tuxedo and gazing at himself through a mirror.

The movie is based on the book series written by E.L. James, which follows the relationship of Anastasia Steele, played by Dakota Johnson, and Dornan's character, Christian Grey.

Both the director, Sam Taylor-Johnson, and screenwriter, Kelly Marcel left the film series before signing on to take part in the second installment. Instead, James' revealed that her husband, Niall Leonard, will pen the Fifty Shades sequel.

Fifty Shade of Grey will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on May 8.