Robert Duvall hails return of Harper Lee

Star of original film of To Kill a Mockingbird hails return of Harper Lee, with rush expected to land film rights for Go Set the Watchmen

Robert Duvall and Mary Badham in the 1962 film To Kill A Mockingbird Photo: Rex Features

By Martin Chilton, Culture Editor online

The Telegraph -  04 Feb 2015

Robert Duvall, who made an unforgettable film debut playing the slow but gentle Boo Radley in the 1962 adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird, today hailed the forthcoming novel from Harper Lee.

Duvall, 84, who received a 2015 Oscar nomination for best supporting actor, said: "Congratulations to Harper Lee. I am looking forward to reading the book. The film was a pivotal point in my career and we all have been waiting for the second book."

Horton Foote, who wrote the screenplay for the film, which also starred Gregory Peck, picked Duvall for the role after seeing him in a stage play called The Midnight Caller. Duvall said: "I remember when I went up to do it, Harper Lee sent me a telegram that said 'Hey, Boo'. It was a nice project to be part of."

On July 14 2015, 55 years after her classic novel was published, Harper Lee's sequel Go Set the Watchmen will be published. Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, plans a first printing of two million copies, and the book will also be available in an electronic edition. The book will be published in Britain by William Heinemann, an imprint of Penguin Random House Inc.
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