Kirk Douglas gave the film version of The Brave Cowboy the title Lonely Are the Brave, his personal favorite. It was adapted by Academy Award-winning—and formerly blacklisted—screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Released in 1962, it is one of only two films made based on Abbey's novels. British writer/director/actor Alex Cox has lauded the film, writing that "there is no greater western, and certainly no more tragic one."[3]
The second Abbey adaptation was Fire on the Mountain, which was a made-for-TV movie that starred Ron Howard and Buddy Ebsen. A third film, based on Abbey's most popular novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang, is currently in development.[4] Catherine Hardwicke is scheduled to direct the film.
