Taylor-Johnson, 47, has adapted EL James' namesake 2011 love story that traces the deepening relationship between a college graduate, Anastasia Steele, and a young business magnate, Christian Grey.
Actor Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson play the lead roles in the film, which is slated to release on February 13, reported Us magazine.
"It was difficult, I'm not going to lie. We definitely fought, but they were creative fights and we would resolve them.
The director's revelation about her creative differences with James fall in contrast to the mutual admiration earlier reported between the two when Taylor-Johnson was first recruited for 'Fifty Shades...'.
"I saw both of her films, and I was blown away. Simple. She's creative, incredibly talented, she's got an extraordinary eye. She had a good idea about the whole Fifty experience, she understands it... And I thought, There's a woman I can go and get drunk with," James had said in 2013 of Taylor-Johnson's earlier work.