Connery reconfirms -- to do movie on vaccine-caused GW Illness

[Guest guest]

FYI -

This looks to be a good movie. I'm in the midst of reading the book now - and

so far, it is VERY good!

Amazon.co.uk: The Gulf Conspiracy: Books

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http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0749083794/202-3018070-1439023

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http://news.scotsman.com/topics.cfm?tid=652 & id=976222006

Tue 4 Jul 2006

City publisher wins rights to tell life story of Sir

ADRIAN MATHER ( amather@...)

AN Edinburgh publishing firm has beaten hundreds of others from across the UK to

secure the rights to a book by Sir Connery.

Canongate Books is set to publish the film star's first major work, which will

combine his memoirs of growing up in the Capital with his celebration of

" Scotland's past and present " .

The actor, who worked his way from being an Edinburgh milkman to one of the true

greats of Hollywood, has already started working on the book, which will be

called Connery's Scotland.

And it is set to lift the lid on some of the legendary actor's early career,

including his time spent growing up in Fountainbridge and working in Edinburgh

before getting his first big screen break.

Sir has been writing his memoirs for years and they have been eagerly

sought after by publishers from across the globe. Two years ago, he walked off

the set of Josiah's Canon, leaving the Prague-based bank robbery film without a

star, saying he wanted to spend more time on his memoirs.

But he later also pulled out of a planned autobiography which would have earned

him millions, saying that the memoirs weren't ready to be published.

Sir will be collaborating with acclaimed writer and film-maker Murray

Grigor, who is helping to co-write the book. It is due to be released next

September to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Union between

Scotland and England.

Byng, publisher at Canongate, said: " We are absolutely thrilled to be

publishing Connery's Scotland. Not only is it going to be a fascinating and

revelatory book about Scotland but Sir is a natural storyteller with his

own great story to tell.

" Co-publishing with Hugh and his team at Polygon adds another exciting

dimension to what is going to be one of the biggest publishing projects

Canongate has ever been involved in. "

The publisher also released a statement from Sir .

He said: " Our goal is to produce a very readable, visually stimulating and

hopefully intriguing history of Scotland, with personal discoveries. "

It is not the first major book that the Edinburgh publisher has been involved

with. In 2002, the company hit the headlines when one of their books, Yann

Martel's Life of Pi, won the prestigious Booker Prize award.

Bond legend Sir announced earlier this year that he was quitting

Hollywood, sparking a frenzy among publishers desperate to secure the rights for

his autobiography.

Speaking at New York's Tartan Week following an operation to remove a tumour

from his kidney, the 76-year-old said he wanted to retire from acting altogether

after a star-studded career spanning 76 movies.

However, before he quits acting altogether, he admitted he wants to turn a

controversial novel by Edinburgh author Ken McClure into a Hollywood

blockbuster.

Last month, Sir received the American Film Institute's annual lifetime

achievement award, following in the footsteps of other legendary actors

including Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock and DeNiro.

He is set to spend ten days attending the Edinburgh International Film Festival

this summer.

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http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=541012006

Never say never again as Sir set for Gulf War movie

MICHAEL BLACKLEY, Scotsman, April 8, 2006

SIR SEAN CONNERY is considering turning a novel by an Edinburgh author into a

Hollywood blockbuster.

The former Bond actor, who earlier this week said he did not want to act

again, has been in contact with Ken McClure about bringing his controversial

novel The Gulf Conspiracy to the big screen.

Connery, who has been an executive producer on such blockbusters as The League

of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Finding Forrester, Entrapment, The Rock and Just

Cause, may even take on the behind the scenes role for the new movie.

The Gulf Conspiracy is a fictional thriller which centres on the theory that

vaccinations were responsible for the development of Gulf War Syndrome.

Finlayson, Dr McClure's business manager, has been in contact with the

-winning actor about the project.

And Dr McClure, who lives in Currie, today said he was shocked to come home and

hear Sir 's voice on his answer machine - and instantly thought it was his

children playing a prank.

He said: " He phoned Vince and me separately. I was out and it was an odd message

to come home to on my message machine. You think instantly that it is your son

having laugh.

" He asked to see the book and left his address. I sent him out the book and I

think he's been speaking to Vince since then.

" It would make an excellent film. Getting a name like Sir 's linked with it

would make an enormous difference for me I'm sure. He has produced films and

we'd love to see a film production company take it on. "

Mr Finlayson originally took the book to the ish Media Group to see if they

would be keen on TV rights.

But because of the scope of the subject area, they said the project would be too

big for them and suggested contacting some of the big American film companies,

or an " actor with clout " .

The book is published by a relatively small publisher - & Busby - so

print runs have remained relatively small, but involvement of a name like Sir

Connery in a film version would be certain to give a huge boost to sales.

In the novel, a vaccine designed by British scientists becomes contaminated in a

freak accident, and military leaders decide that it must remain a secret. Twelve

years later, veterans are dying from a Gulf War Syndrome.

Dr McClure is a former medical researcher and holds a PhD in microbial genetics.

He says that although the book is a thriller, he did a year's research

beforehand and was " absolutely convinced " by the end of it that it was caused by

vaccinations.

Mr Finlayson said that he was determined to see the book make its way on to the

big screen.

He said: " I've been on to Universal and SKG, and I wrote to Connery in the

Bahamas. Since then, both Ken and I have had calls from .

" He has interest from a film point of view. He wouldn't appear as a character -

it would be more a sort of background role, as an executive producer.

" He has shown interest and asked Ken to send him the book. He has produced his

last seven films, so I've been writing to him on and off about producing it.

" I'm determined it will happen. This is a Schindler's List-type story in that

Ken is writing about things that people don't really know too much about yet. "

Earlier this week, Sir , now 76, said he was to retire from acting, after 76

films.

He made the comments at Tartan Week in New York, his first public appearance

since an operation to remove a tumour from his kidney.