Author E.L. James has announced she will be releasing a new novel edition of Fifty Shades of Grey, titled “Grey,” that will be written from character Christian Grey’s point of view.
The Fifty Shades trilogy is one of the most successful publications in history, selling more than 125 million copies worldwide, but is told solely from protagonist Anastasia Steele’s point of view.
Variety reports James will publish the newest book on June 18 exclusively for “those readers who asked… and asked… and asked… and asked for this.”
“Christian is a complex character and readers have always been fascinated by his desires and motivations, and his troubled past,” said James. “Also, as anyone who has ever been in a relationship knows, there are two sides to every story. It’s been a great pleasure to return to my happy place-writing, being with Christian and Ana in their universe, and working with the fantastic team at Vintage.”
“Grey” will be published as both a paperback and an eBook by Vintage Books, which is an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group-a division of Penguin Random House.
“Fifty Shades of Grey is a love story that has enthralled readers in a way that few books have,” said Vintage Books publisher and James’ editor, Anne Messitte. “When Erika mentioned to me that she wanted to explore Christian’s viewpoint and re-open the story, I was incredibly excited for her and for her readers. This book has all the compelling attributes of its predecessors, and I can’t wait for Fifty Shades fans to experience the work again from a perspective they have long desired.”
The first novel in the series was published in 2011, and was adapted into a film this year that stars Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson.
It opened to a record-breaking $85.2 million in February, and has since brought in $166.2 million in the United States and $569.7 million at the global box office.
Dornan and Johnson have both signed on to reprise their respective characters for the sequel, but Universal is still on the hunt for a director to replace Sam Taylor-Johnson, who announced in March she did not intend to return to the franchise.
James’ husband Niall Leonard has signed on to write the screenplay for “Fifty Shades of Darker,” which is scheduled to hit theaters on Feb. 10, 2017.