Writer Gore Vidal's interest in Billy the Kid stemmed from his schooldays in New Mexico, quite near the place where the Kid was killed in 1881. He regarded this play as one of his best television scripts and adapted it as a film screenplay when it was turned into the 1957 movie "The Left-Handed Gun". However, to his considerable anger, this script was rejected by director Arthur Penn, and another script, by Leslie Stevens, was used instead. Nearly forty years later, the star of the film, Vidal's friend Paul Newman, laughingly claimed that Vidal had still not forgiven him for not preventing this. The film was, however, very well-liked by critics - Vidal later claimed that it was "a film only someone French could like". He masterminded a remake (the 1990 TV movie "Billy The Kid", starring Val Kilmer in the title role), making sure that his script (which was more explicit in sexual matters than the earlier one had been) was followed to the letter. He also had a small acting role, as a preacher.