THIS IS NOT RIGHT

In 1978, Peter wrote the screenplay for the animated version of THE LORD OF THE RINGS. It took draft after draft written under ferocious deadline pressure to make everything work. Producer Saul Zaentz made a lot of promises to Peter in order to get him to do that work in return for no money beyond his original "consulting fee" of only $5,000 — promises that Zaentz almost immediately reneged on.

The animated movie was only a moderate success at the box office, but the power of Peter's script helped the film work magic on a young Peter Jackson, inspiring him to go read Tolkien's books. (Hear Jackson say so for himself at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, on February 6th, 2004.) Where that led...well, we all know where that led.

But we don’t all know that Saul Zaentz has been paid nearly two hundred million dollars out of the earnings of Peter Jackson's films, as payment for Zaentz's Tolkien rights. And we don’t all know that the Saul Zaentz Company refuses to use any of their huge income to finally make good on the promises that Zaentz made to Peter, even though (a) they could easily afford to do so, and (b) without Peter's hard work they never would have earned any of that money.

Adding insult to injury, when asked to do the right thing they claim they've never profited from owning the Tolkien rights.

Background Information & Chronology
Frequently Asked Questions
Actions YOU can take

Peter's fans speak out!

THIS IS REALLY NOT RIGHT

Since 2004, London-based Granada Media (a multibillion-dollar entertainment and news conglomerate) has...

JULY 2006 NEWS FLASH! YOUR VOICE IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE. Talks are now under way to resolve Peter's conflict with Granada Media over nonpayment on the animated version of THE LAST UNICORN (a problem stretching back more than 20 years, and adding up to hundreds of thousands of dollars). As a courtesy we have have temporarily removed the details of this conflict from these pages, but if negotiations fail, we will post them again and ask you to join us in pressing even harder for a just solution. Please return here to check for updates.

AUGUST 2007 UPDATE: Talks continue. We hope to report more soon.

OCTOBER 2008 UPDATE: There is a possible solution on the table, but it isn't an easy one to pull together. In fact, it is really, really difficult, as witness the fact that we've spent more than a year on it so far without making any clear headway. And we can't talk about it publicly without jeopardizing any hope of progress. So please be patient with us — we'll post the news (either pro or con) just as soon as there is something definite.

In the meantime, back in February 2007 something VERY IMPORTANT happened — Lionsgate Entertainment released a special 25th Anniversary DVD of THE LAST UNICORN. This new edition is a huge improvement over the old one. It is digitally remastered so it looks great and has 5.1 audio, it is widescreen instead of fullscreen, it has much better packaging, and it comes with special features, including a video interview with Peter. Best of all, Lionsgate has agreed to let us sell copies of the DVD through Conlan Press, and more than half of each sale will go straight to Peter and his projects. If you plan on buying this DVD, please buy it here — because Peter will get nothing from copies sold through any other outlet.

ADDING TO THE STRESS AND DIFFICULTY

Peter's mother, Rebecca Soyer Beagle, finally passed away on the evening of Saturday, June 24th, 2006, after several years of declining health, increasing medical costs, and financial problems which left her with very little. Ever since Peter has been attempting to deal with the practical issues and financial difficulties triggered by her death. (OCTOBER 2008 UPDATE: Yes, more than two years later there is still stuff to deal with. Family problems can be extraordinarily complicated and messy.)

Rebecca was 100 years old when she died. She went in her sleep, which was good, leaving behind many people who loved her. If you would like to learn more about this remarkable woman, without whose loving support and childhood influence Peter would never have become a writer, click here.

Peter asks that anyone wishing to make donations in Rebecca Beagle's memory do so by giving to one of her favorite institutions, the Judah L. Magnes Museum in Berkeley, California. Rebecca was a docent there before she became too frail to continue, and always supported the museum and its mission. Contact information below:

Judah L. Magnes Museum
2911 Russell Street
Berkeley CA 94705
PH (510) 549-6950
FAX (510) 849-3673
Judah L. Magnes Museum homepage
Judah L. Magnes Museum — donations & support

Hard as it may be to believe — given the fame of THE LAST UNICORN and its worldwide legion of readers — Peter has never been financially successful. Royalties from his books are a pittance, and as noted above the big money he should have gotten from film projects has always been denied him. Just like Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster with their creation SUPERMAN, Peter's lack of business sense has left him poor and struggling even as other people have made fortunes off his talent and hard work.

This victimization has been going on for decades. It has to stop. And it will stop, if we come together and do something about it!

My name is Connor Cochran. I became Peter's business manager four years ago, when I learned how badly he was being treated by publishers and studios. Together he and I have worked hard to change things for the better, and we’ve made some progress. But now the fight is entering a whole new phase. The people we're going up against have deep pockets. They don’t think Peter will ever be able to put together the funds to take them to court and make them do the right thing. They don't think he can ever make enough public noise to be worth bothering about.

You can change that!

You can help by reading the Chronology, FAQ, and "Actions YOU Can Take" pages linked above, then following the steps described in them.

You can help by signing up to become part of our public campaign, here. [Please note Granada Media update above.] Whatever you put down will be posted as part of the Peter's fans speak out! page. We'll also automatically notify you of updates to the "take action" lists, and whenever there is a specifically-targeted push being launched that could use your participation.

You can help by making a direct donation, here, which will take some pressure off Peter by cutting the cost of fighting for his rights.

You can help by buying his books and the new 25th Anniversary DVD of THE LAST UNICORN from Conlan Press, here, so Peter has more money to pay his legal expenses. (Peter gets more from books sold via Conlan Press than he does from any other sales site or store, and he gets it much faster.)

You can help by spreading the word. Cite this page in your blog. Send the URL to your friends by email. Tell anyone and everyone you can. The more people that know the truth, the better. And the more people that get behind Peter, the sooner this story will finally have a happy ending.

If you want to know more about what's going on, and what you can do, call us at 925-260-2725 or send me a personal email at connor@conlanpress.com.


— Connor Cochran, October 2008