Disney / Lucasfilm to Settle with Star Wars Author Alan Dean Foster?

Could Disney / Lucasfilm be reaching some sort of amicable agreement with Star Wars novel author Alan Dean Foster?

According to Foster’s personal blog, that appears to be the case.

Last year Foster accused Disney of withholding royalties from his books, including the classic Star Wars novel Splinter of the Mind’s Eye and novelizations of the Alien movies.

In a letter published by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, Foster claimed that Disney-owned Lucasfilm was told repeatedly about the missing royalty payments by his agents, but refused to acknowledge them.

“You continue to ignore requests from my agents,” Foster wrote. “You continue to ignore queries from SFWA, the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. You continue to ignore my legal representatives. I know this is what gargantuan corporations often do. Ignore requests and inquiries hoping the petitioner will simply go away. Or possibly die. But I’m still here, and I am still entitled to what you owe me.”

After the scathing letter was published, the hashtag #DisneyMustPay started trending on social media, and thus began another in a long series of PR black eyes for Lucasfilm.

Foster went on the offensive, booking interviews on several blogs, YouTube channels and podcasts to plead his case.

And now it would appear that Disney is willing to listen. If for no other reason than to avoid continued PR backlash.

Foster recently posted the following on his blog…

“The irritating imbroglio with Disney, which you may have read about, is moving towards a mutually agreeable conclusion. A formal statement will be forthcoming.”

Hopefully this situation ends well for Foster and other writers who may have been treated in a similarly shoddy manner by Disney.

[Hat tip: CCG, The Wertzone]