- [Narrator] This is Allen Dean Foster.
- Hi, I’m Allen Dean Foster.
- [Narrator] And he is a Science Fiction Writer.
- Yes, I am.
- [Narrator] You might even be familiar
with one of his books.
- In 1975, I worked with George Lucas and wrote
the book version of "Star Wars.”
- [Narrator] No way.
- Yes way.
(guitar strums)
- [Narrator] This is Allen Dean Foster's office.
This is the view from Allen Dean Foster's deck.
This is how Allen Dean Foster meet George Lucas.
- They were looking for someone to do the book
version of this science fiction film
that no one knew anything about.
I was asked by my publisher if I'd be interested,
I said yes,
and that's how the book came to be.
- [Narrator] It was the opportunity of a life time,
but it came with one pretty big caveat.
- George's name would be on the cover, and I couldn't
admit to having ghost written the book.
(harpsichord music)
- [Narrator] So he lied, for a long time.
- So I had to lie to people faces for twenty years.
- [Narrator] This is liar Allen Dean Foster's library.
He's written a whole bunch of novelizations.
- "Star Wars", of course.
The first three "Alien" films,
"The Chronicles of Riddick,” "Clash of the Titans,” and
most recently "The Force Awakens.”
- [Narrator] And a lot of other books, too.
- [Allen Dean Foster] *listing all books*
- [Narrator] That's maybe the least interesting
thing about him.
- There's secrets that will forever remain unrevealed.
(hard rock guitar music)
- [Narrator] These are Allen Dean Foster's
weight-lifting trophies.
This is Allen Dean Foster's bench press.
- Okay.
- [Narrator] Here's Allen Dean Foster's front kick.
- Got that from Chuck Norris.
- [Narrator] Not a joke.
(upbeat orchestral music)
Here's Allen Dean Foster with his camera.
He's recorded his travels on six continents.
- I'm stuck on this one planet that I'm determined
to see as much of it as I possibly can.
- [Narrator] So, how does a world famous,
crazy prolific,
sci-fi writer manage to keep this up,
and still find time for his writing?
- Well, to stop learning is to start to die.
- [Narrator] Didn't Desiderius Erasmus say that?
- Yes he did.
(upbeat chamber music)
- You know, John Ford only needed one take.