Iraq war veteran to sue makers of 'The Hurt Locker' for appropriating his identity

March 2, 2010 | By KPCC Wire Services | KPCC

The distributors of the Oscar-nominated film "The Hurt Locker'' defended the movie today against accusations by an Iraq war veteran who claims he is basis for the film's bomb-defusing main character.

Master Sgt. Jeffrey S. Sarver plans to hold a news conference in Michigan Wednesday with his attorney announcing a federal lawsuit against the makers of the film, claiming his identity was appropriated without credit or approval, primarily by screenwriter Mark Boal.

But the film's distributor, Summit Entertainment, issued a statement insisting that the film's screenplay was a fictional story.

"The film is a story about heroes depicting a fictional account of what brave men and women do on the battlefield,'' according to the statement. "We have no doubt that Master Sgt. Sarver served his country with honor and commitment risking his life for a greater good, but we distributed the film
based on a fictional screenplay written by Mark Boal. We hope for a quick resolution to the claims made by Master Sgt. Sarver.''

Representatives for Boal referred calls for comment to Summit Entertainment.

According to a news released issued by Sarver's attorney, Geoffrey Fieger, Sarver is the film's main character, Will James, or "Blaster One,'' which was Sarver's call signal during his tour in Iraq.

Boal, who won the Writers Guild of America's award for best original screenplay and is nominated for an Oscar for penning the script, was embedded with Sarver's unit in Iraq, according to Fieger.

"Virtually all of the situations portrayed in the film were, in fact, occurrences involving Master Sgt. Sarver that were observed and documented by screenwriter Boal,'' according to Fieger's news release. "Master Sgt. Sarver also coined the phrase `The Hurt Locker' for Boal.''

Fieger contends that Boal wrote an article about Sarver for Playboy magazine, then adapted that story into the script for "The Hurt Locker.'' The planned federal lawsuit will allege that the film makers decided to cheat Sarver out of any financial interest in the film and out of any acknowledgment of his actions in Iraq.

"The Hurt Locker'' is nominated for nine Academy Awards, including best picture, best screenplay for Boal, best director for Kathryn Bigelow and best actor for Jeremy Renner, who portrayed Will James.

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