I Coulda Been a Contenda… I Coulda Been a Pirate!

The Guardian is reporting that a pirate adventure Marlon Brando co-wrote 30 years ago has been novelized and is nearing release. There are claims that the book, entitled Fan Tan, offers insights into the star’s tumultuous life. Brando and filmmaker Donald Cammell reportedly “apparently locked themselves away for eight months to write, with the two men acting out the dialogue.” This novel version of their work was edited by film historian David Thomson, who cleaned up Brando and Cammell’s work, wrote a final chapter and also an afterword.

The plundering protagonist is named Annie Doultry (it’s a male pirate, don’t be fooled) and is overweight and his adventures reflect not just Brando’s adventures in Hollywood but also his difficult partnership with Cammell. Some reviewers have written that “enthralled readers will be swinging from the rigging along with the rest of the pirates in this rollicking high seas saga.”

The book, with a groovy pulp-like cover, is being published by Knopf and is scheduled for release on September 6. Read the entire Guardian article here.

Pre-order the book on Amazon by clicking on the swingin’ cover below:
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There might be a different cover in the UK. The cover shown in the Guardian article isn’t nearly as cool as the one here.