U.S. Soldier Sues, Claims He’s ‘Hurt Locker’ Character

He and his lawyer waited until the Oscar ballots were in, but on Tuesday, Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver, a U.S. Army soldier who worked as a bomb disposal specialist in Iraq, filed a lawsuit claiming that he had provided the real-world inspiration for actor Jeremy Renner’s character in “The Hurt Locker.”

Why did he wait until the votes were cast? Well, according to his lawyer, Oscar wins for the film could mean winnings for Sarver down the road. 

Meanwhile, Nicolas Chartier, that “Hurt Locker” producer who caused a ruckus recently by sending e-mails asking for support from Academy members, has been officially uninvited from Sunday’s ceremony. —KA

CNN:

Master Sgt. Jeffrey Sarver filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday claiming writer Mark Boal—a journalist embedded with his Army unit in Iraq—based the film’s main character on his life.

“They literally transposed his life in the film and then claimed it was a work of fiction,” said lawyer Geoffrey Fieger. “The only fiction was the claim it was a work of fiction.”

[...] “We want the movie to be successful, because that is in my client’s benefit,” he said.

Sarver wants the opening credits to list him as the basis for the character Will James, and producers “have to share the financial benefit that apparently they are going to reap from this movie,” Fieger said.

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Striking resemblance?: Jeffrey Sarver claims he recognizes himself in “Hurt Locker’s” lead character (pictured above).