Screen legend Gene Hackman may have quietly retired from acting a few years back, but that doesn’t mean his creative juices have frozen.
Hackman, whose last film was (tragically) 2004’s WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT, has been occupying his twilight time with writing (in between the occasional pitchwork for Lowe’s). The 80-year-old star of classics like THE FRENCH CONNECTION, THE CONVERSATION, HOOSIERS and UNFORGIVEN, will publish his first solo novel next summer.
The book, titled “Jubal’s Bounty”, is a Western set in late 19th century New Mexico. Hackman had previously co-written three other novels (with Daniel Lenihan), “Wake of the Perdido Star”, “Justice for None” and “Escape from Andersonville”. Hackman obviously knows his way around a Western — besides his Oscar-winning part in Clint Eastwood’s film, he roamed the dusty trail in THE HUNTING PARTY, BITE THE BULLET, THE QUICK AND THE DEAD, WYATT EARP and GERONIMO.
A few years ago, Hackman had this to say about the writing process: “I like the loneliness of it, actually. It’s similar in some ways to acting, but it’s more private and I feel like I have more control over what I’m trying to say and do.“
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