Alan Dean Foster

Alan Dean Foster, a prolific writer, has authored numerous works of both fiction and non-fiction, with his writings appearing in over 100 different books. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Cinema from the University of California, specifically the Los Angeles campus, in 1968. While he has published some non-fiction, Foster's writing is mainly concentrated in the science fiction and fantasy genres. His works have been translated into more than 50 languages.

He penned the novelization of the LucasArts video game called The Dig in 1995, which originated from an idea by Steven Spielberg. In addition, he wrote the novelizations for Star Trek (2009) and its sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), both of which were directed by J.J. Abrams. Moreover, he is the author behind the novelizations for the first three installments of the Alien film series.

Biography

He was the ghost writer for George Lucas on the novelization of Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope, and he also wrote Splinter of the Mind's Eye, which was the very first novel in the Expanded Universe. Later on, he revisited the Star Wars universe, first with the Republic-era novel The Approaching Storm, followed by the novelization of Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens, and the short story "Bait" (featured in Star Wars Insider 162).

In 2018, Foster shared an unofficial treatment for Star Wars: Episode IX on his personal website.

After Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm, Foster ceased to receive royalty payments for the novels he had written prior to the acquisition, including both the novelization of the original Star Wars film and Splinter of the Mind's Eye. A similar situation arose when Disney gained control of 20th Century Fox some years later. Disney did not honor the existing contract between Foster and the studio, which covered his novelizations of the Alien franchise. In response, Foster sought assistance from the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America Grievance Committee in 2019, hoping to resolve the dispute. After facing considerable resistance from Disney, the SFWA made the decision to publicly address the issue the following year. Mary Robinette Kowal, the President of SFWA, stated: "In my decade with the organization, the fact that we are forced to present this publicly is unprecedented."

Works

Bibliography

Sources

Notes and references

External links

  • Official website
  • Alan Dean Foster on Wikipedia
  • Alan Dean Foster at the Internet Movie Database

Appearances