‘Hurt Locker’ Producer Locked Out of Oscars

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Lolita Carrico

After a controversial group of emails that ‘Hurt Locker’ producer Nicolas Chartier sent to members of the academy urging them to vote for his and Kathryn Bigelow’s film over James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’. Cameron and Bigelow are former spouses, which adds another bit of drama to the situation.

Chartier has apologized for the emails, and ultimately, the Academy today announced that he could not attend Sunday’s awards show for his slam of ‘Avatar’ in his emails — flippantly regarding to it as a “$500 million film.”

In a statement released by the Academy, they said:

“Academy rules prohibit ‘casting a negative or derogatory light on a competing film.’ The executive committee of the Academy’s Producers Branch, at a special session late Monday, ruled that the ethical lapse merited the revocation of Chartier’s invitation to the Awards.”