Dakota Johnson announces major career shift

Dakota Johnson just revealed she plans on making her feature directorial debut.

She and her producing partner of TeaTime Pictures, Ro Donnelly, revealed that they are developing a project written by actress Vanessa Burghardt.

Speaking at the Kering Women in Motion talk at the Cannes Film Festival the Fifty Shades of Grey actress also stated how she is so “protective” of Burghardt, who has portrayed the role of her on-screen daughter in the 2022 film Cha Cha Real Smooth.

As per Variety, Johnson revealed, "The girl that plays my daughter, Vanessa Burghardt, she is an autistic actress and musician and brilliant person, and we have been working with her on developing a script.”

"She's written a script, and it's really special, and it's about a young woman with autism. I feel very protective of her and her story and her mind. She's just an unbelievable woman. I just don't think I could allow anyone else to direct it. So, we'll see,” the Madame Web star further stated.

Johnson has also directed a 23-minute short film titled, Loser Baby, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last year.

She also voiced her disappointment over the fact that no one wanted to pick it up and make it into a TV show.

"It's a short film about queer friends living in Los Angeles and their relationships and their complications and their friendships and their s**uality and their identity, and nobody wanted to f**king make it," she expressed her frustration at that time.

"And I was like, 'Why? That's such a global conversation, and it should be talked about all the time,' but whatever. So it was a proof of concept that just is sitting there, proofing,” the 35-year-old added.

Most recently, Dakota Johnson arrived in Cannes to support Splitsville, the comedy she both produced and stars in.