Veteran Star Wars Author Alan Dean Foster Being Denied Royalties From Disney
Veteran Star Wars author Alan Dean Foster is currently in a battle with Disney about failure to pay royalty payments, after an initial inquiry dating back from 2019 being ignored.
Foster is the novelist behind multiple of the Star Wars novels, including the novelization of Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens and even the first original novel included in the Star Wars universe, “Splinter of the Mind’s Eye”.
Disney has continued to ignore communication efforts from multiple different people about this matter, including Foster’s agent, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), and legal representatives, Foster claims.
“When you purchased Lucasfilm you acquired the rights to some books I wrote,” explained Foster in a statement addressed to Disney. “Star Wars, the novelization of the very first film. Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, the first sequel novel. You owe me royalties on these books. You stopped paying them.”
Foster is also owed royalties from his novelizations of three films from the Alien franchise, a franchise which the Walt Disney Company acquired when 20th Century Fox was purchased. Foster goes on to say Disney have “never paid royalties on any of these, or even issued royalty statements for them.”
Disney is currently proclaiming that during the purchases of Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox, “that they have purchased the rights but not the obligations of the contract.” and are using this as a defense against Foster claims SWFA President, Mary Robinette Kowal.
Things take a sad turn as Foster reveals he was diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer in 2016 and his wife is currently dealing with ongoing medical issues also. He states “We could use the money. Not charity: just what I’m owed.”.
Kowel is asking fans of Foster’s work to inform Disney if they feel Foster, and any author, should be compensated for the work they put out there by using the hashtags #DearMickey and #DisneyMustPay.