'Fifty Shades of Grey' Sequel 'Freed' Hires Arielle Kebbel as Gia Matteo

Rumors about Universal shooting back-to-back the two Fifty Shades of Grey sequels -- Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed -- seem to be confirmed. In the latest casting announcement, Arielle Kebbel will be playing Gia Matteo, the architect who builds a home for Christian (Jamie Dornan) and Anastasia (Dakota Johnson) in the third installment of the trilogy.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, UnREAL and Ballers actress Kebbel will be joining the cast of the third movie as a woman who ignites extreme jealousy in Ana as she endlessly flirts with Christian. Anastasia's dislike for her is pretty much explained in the nickname she gives her: Miss-Provocative-And-Unfortunately-Good-At-Her-Job.

Besides recurring roles in the aforementioned projects, Kebbel, also a model, has appeared in a large number of TV shows, including a stint on Gilmore Girls as well as on The Vampire Diaries. She's also worked in numerous movies, most recently on 2012's Think Like a Man.

Thrilled to join #fiftyshadesfreed thanks @THR for the great article! https://t.co/pRzflaOd8u

— Arielle Kebbel (@ArielleKebbel) February 8, 2016

Production for the next two films of the Fifty Shades franchise is set to begin soon, and this, in turn, has also meant a number of new casting announcements in the past few weeks. These include Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger taking on the role of Elena Lincoln and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies' star, Bella Heathcote, as Leila Williams. Original stars Dornan and Johnson will also return for the roles of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele.

As The Wrap reports, the two remaining films of the trilogy will be directed by James Foley after Sam Taylor-Johnson, who directed last year's box office smash, stepped down. Niall Leonard, the husband of the original trilogy's author E.L. James, was in charge of adapting Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed for the big screen.

The second film of the franchise is set for an early 2017 release, on February 10, while the trilogy will be completed a year later, when Freed is released on February 9, 2018.