Jimmy Boyle agrees £2m film deal with Disney

JIMMY Boyle and Disney are unlikely bedfellows, but the former gangster turned artist now has two million reasons to thank the American movie giant.

Boyle has sold Disney the film rights to his latest, unpublished book for an astounding 2.1m, giving him by far the biggest pay day of either of his careers.

The novel, A Stolen Smile, tells how the Mona Lisa ends up on a Scottish housing estate, but it is not yet clear how Disney intends to apply its brand of screen magic to the tale.

Last night Boyle revealed he was moving to live permanently in Morocco, where he intends to spend his Disney cash helping illiterate youngsters to read and write.

He said he finally agreed to sell the film rights to Disney after a weekend of tense negotiations at his luxurious new house in Marrakech.

"My agent did an amazing job," he said. "People moan about them taking a 10% cut, but when we’re talking about these sorts of sums then I’m certainly not complaining. He’s totally welcome to the money.

"Initially there were four film companies bidding for the rights, but Disney came up with the best offer."

He added: "I feel that the gods are smiling on me. I feel that, in the past, I’ve done my hard time and now someone up there has decided to shower me with good luck."

A Stolen Smile is a satire on conceptual art, portraying it as elitist claptrap, blindingly pretentious and a fad waiting to be found out.

It portrays the down-at-heel residents of a block of flats - based on the notorious Fort high-rises in Leith - who steal the Mona Lisa from the Louvre and bring it home.

Although Boyle said he was blown away by the amount of money secured in the deal, he already has three luxurious houses - in Edinburgh, France and Morocco - and is no stranger to the high life.

Three of his books have been published, one of which has been turned into an award-winning film, A Sense of Freedom.

Boyle also commands up to 10,000 for his sculptures.

He added: "Yes, yes, it [2.1m] is a lot of money, but the beauty is I’m not going to spend it on myself.

"I’m past the age where I would have a huge blow-out. I’m not interested in that sort of thing any more.

"I will be spending the money wisely. I plan to spend most of it on various charitable projects.

"It’s my 60th birthday in May so, to celebrate, I’m making it a year of giving because I never thought I’d reach this age.

"With the money I’ve made I’m going to set up three schools in Morocco. In the rural areas the illiteracy rates are 98% and I want to change that. I want to be able to give the kids the opportunity to learn."

He also said he was planning to take his family on holiday as well as organising various parties.

"I will be taking my wife, Sarah, and children to Prague for a bumper celebration weekend, and throughout the year I will be putting together a series of parties for family and friends in places throughout the world."

Currently, Boyle lives in a luxurious villa in Cap d’Antibes, an exclusive enclave on the French Riviera between Nice and Cannes.

However, he recently bought a five-bedroom house in Marrakech, which he is renting out at the moment.

It is lavishly decorated and comes complete with four-poster beds, a roof terrace and a spectacular room called the Berber Tent, a rooftop area covered with silk drapes and furnished with brightly coloured sofas and low wooden tables. There is also a large swimming pool and a specially designed studio for Boyle to work in.

Boyle, who served 15 years in jail after he was found guilty of murdering William Rooney in 1967, revealed he would be moving to his new home in January.

But he has no plans to sell his French house.

Speaking about his new home he said: "At the moment I’ve got three staff working for me at the house in Marrakech and I rent it out because it’s important that they have something to do," he said.

"As from January I will be moving there on a permanent basis.

"I’m just waiting for my art studio to be built and then I’ll start living there on a full-time basis."

He added: "When I saw it I fell madly in love with it.

"I got an agent and signed on the dotted line, but I didn’t really have a clue where it was. If I hadn’t been given the address I would never have been able to find it again."

Boyle, who describes himself as a "bit of a nomad", says he wants to experience living in a totally new environment.

"I’m the sort of person who feels the need to keep moving," he said.

Referring to the beauty of Morocco, he said: "There is a certain ruggedness and total unpretentiousness about the place which really attracts me."

But Boyle has also pledged not to lose contact with his family.

"Wherever I live I will always come back to Scotland every couple of months to keep in touch with my family and friends.

"I think it’s vital not to lose track of your roots."

INSPIRATION UNLEASHED

BOYLE discovered his creative talents after being invited to join Barlinnie Prison Special Unit, which taught inmates how to express their emotions artistically.

In 1977 an art teacher gave Boyle a lump of clay, and a dam of creativity burst forth.

He wrote his autobiography, A Sense of Freedom, in just six weeks.

Two years later the second half of his autobiography, The Pain of Confinement, was published and A Sense of Freedom, with actor David Hayman’s portrayal of Boyle, become a celebrated TV movie. In 1999 his first novel, Hero of the Underworld, was published.

His latest novel, A Stolen Smile, takes a pop at the world of conceptual art, exposing it as elitist clap-trap, blindingly pretentious, and a fad waiting to be found out.

It portrays the down-at-heel residents of a block of flats - based on the notorious Fort high-rises in Edinburgh’s Leith - who pinch the Mona Lisa from the Louvre and bring it home.

In one scene a couple of characters wrestle with the idea of conceptual art. They hear about a battered old fridge that a celebrated artist hurled stones at before depositing for exhibition in one of Europe’s most distinguished galleries, and for his efforts collected 60,000 from a lucrative buyer.