The film, slated to release on February 12, has an ending prefered by James rather than the version that director Sam Taylor-Johnson and others wanted, said the Hollywood Reporter quoting sources.
James, whose real name is Erika Leonard, was granted exceptional control by Universal after the studio bought the rights to the material for a reported USD 5 million in March 2012.
"It ended on a really smart note and Erika wouldn't allow it. It's just a bummer," said an insider.
"It was difficult, I'm not going to lie. We definitely fought, but they were creative fights, and we would resolve them. We would have proper on-set 'barneys,' and I'm not confrontational, but it was about finding a way between the two of us, satisfying her vision of what she'd written as well as my need to visualize this person onscreen, but, you know, we got there," she told Porter magazine.
Another person said James "was given a lot of power and has used every opportunity to flex that power," including determining the ending of the film.