One, Rocket Boys the musical, was developed by Hickam and a trio of collaborators the other, October Sky, was created by a respected Chicago-area team and produced last year at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, in association with Universal Stage Productions.
The fight is over something much less well-known: a pair of fledgling musical theater pieces adapted from Hickam’s story. And, he charges, in recent years, Universal has not been paying him the 5 percent of net profits on the film that he’s supposed to be getting.īut never mind-the movie’s not even the main bone of contention in this lawsuit. It went on to become “recognized as one of the most inspirational movies ever made,” in steady demand for home viewing and school showings-not because of any support from Universal, Hickam claims-but because he’s worked “diligently” over the years to promote it at community and library book events and on his website. Universal Pictures, Universal City Studios, and two Universal executives-president Jimmy Horowitz and vice president Christopher Herzberger-along with as many as 100 “John Does”-are named as defendants in the suit, which seeks at least $20 million in damages.Īccording to the allegations, the film was released with “little fanfare” by Universal, and was initially a box office disappointment. In return for this betrayal, and unbeknown to the author, Hickam claims, Freiberg “worked out a deal to receive a percentage of the producer’s fee.”
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