Soldier sues Hurt Locker producers for basing story on him
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A U.S. bomb disposal expert filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against the producers of "The Hurt Locker," claiming the film's main character is based on him, according to media reports on Thursday.
Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver, who served in the Iraq war, said that the leading role Will James, is based on him, and that James' call signal, "Blaster One," was his during his tours of duty, according to his lawyer Geoffrey Fieger. Sarver also said he coined the phrase "The Hurt Locker."
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A poster of Oscar-nominateed film "The Hurt Locker." [File photo] |
Sarver claimed the film's screenwriter, Mark Boal, was embedded in Sarver's unit, over 30 days in 2004. His reporting led to an article the following year in Playboy magazine about Sarver, and the story later was adapted by Boal for "The Hurt Locker" screenplay.
"If you do take the time to read (the Playboy article) and if you then go and view 'The Hurt Locker,' you will see - and there will be no question in your mind - that 'Blaster One,' Sgt. Sarver, is the character in 'The Hurt Locker' called Will James，" Fieger told reporters at his office in Southfield.
Boal disputed that James was based entirely on Sarver, and said the film was a work of fictional.
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Director Kathryn Bigelow (L) holds her plaque for being a nominee in the 2009 DGA Feature Film Award category for her work on the film "The Hurt Locker" after cast member Jeremy Renner presented the plaque to her at the 62nd Annual Directors Guild of America Awards in Los Angeles January 30, 2010. [Xinhua/Reuters] |
"Jeff is a brave soldier and a good guy. Like a lot of soldiers, he identifies with the film, but the character I wrote is fictional," Boal said in a statement. "The film is a work of fiction inspired by many people's stories, not the life story of any one person."
The movie's U.S. distributor, Summit Entertainment, issued a statement saying it hopes "for a quick resolution to the claims made by Master Sgt. Sarver."
The lawsuit is the second trouble for the Oscar-nominateed film. A producer of the film is banned to attend the Oscar ceremony for sending emails of urging the Academy members to vote for his film.
