It’s starting to look like The Hurt Locker’s biggest obstacle to winning a Best Picture Oscar isn’t Avatar — it’s Nicolas Chartier. One of Locker’s producers, Chartier is already banned from attending Sunday’s ceremony by the Academy, after he e-mailed a group of colleagues and friends urging them to vote for his movie over “a $500 million film,” clearly referring to Avatar. The Tuesday ruling seemed like the end to the minor scandal, with Chartier set to attend a party in his honor on Sunday, with a rented red carpet, no less.
But now the Los Angeles Times has printed an e-mail that Chartier apparently sent on December 22, 2009 to the lawyer of Staff Sergeant Jeffrey Sarver, who is suing Locker’s producers, claiming that the movie’s main character, Will James (Jeremy Renner), is based on his own story.
This guy really should not be left alone near a keyboard:
Hi I’m sorry I’ve never heard of sergeant sarver/will james. I don’t understand is he an actor named will james or jeffrey sarver, I just looked on internet movie database and neither are in the film. I can google but maybe you can tell me who is he and why he’s not happy? Everyone says it’s one of the best movies of the year, did he just not like the popcorn when he watched the movie? I haven’t taken any grossly unfair action against him, I’ve never heard of him. what negative impact, who’s that man? Did I steal his girlfriend? Never heard of him.
best regards,
Nicolas Chartier
Voltage Pictures, LLC
Nicolas Chartier’s behavior is even weirder than you thought [24 Frames/LAT via Movieline]
