Hells Angel sues over biker film

Barger was in charge of security at the Rolling Stones' disastrous Altamont gig

Hells Angels veteran Sonny Barger is suing US TV company HBO over a biker drama which he claims he helped to develop, says the Hollywood Reporter.

In legal papers filed last week, he accuses producers of cutting him out of the project after he demanded changes.

He also says the drama, called 1%, too closely resembles his own life story.

Mr Barger was the leader of the Hells Angels' chapter who organised security at the Rolling Stones' disastrous Altamont concert in 1969.

The free gig descended into chaos when his crew tried to control the audience by beating them with pool cues.

One fan, who appeared to be pointing a gun at the stage, was fatally stabbed by a Hells Angels member who was acquitted at trial.

Nickname

Barger has written two memoirs of his time as a Hells Angel

In his legal case, filed in Los Angeles, Mr Barger says he originally sold his best-selling autobiography to 20th Century Fox for movie development.

Fox then hired Michael Tolkin, who wrote the screenplay for Robert Altman's The Player, to work on the script.

Mr Barger claims he shared with Mr Tolkin a series of novels he had been working on about a fictional motorcycle club, and the pair subsequently pitched a series to HBO.

HBO subsequently turned to Mr Tolkin to create it, and "refused to acknowledge" Mr Barger's contributions, court papers say.

Mr Barger was given the option of serving as a consulting producer on the project but turned it down.

There was also talk of his appearing in the pilot in the potentially recurring role of Chief, the oldest member of the Death Rangers, but the casting never came about.

In his legal case, Mr Barger says that Chief is a "well-known nickname or alias for Sonny Barger", and that the drama is set in Carefree, Arizona - "which is the town adjacent to where Sonny Barger presently resides".

He wants the court to declare the 1% script as a joint work of Sonny Barger Productions and Tolkin, to forbid the sale or broadcast of the programme, and to award damages for exploiting Barger's publicity rights.

The case comes as HBO prepares to shoot the pilot episode. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the cast had motorcycle training last week, and production is due to begin Friday.

It says the name of the Chief character, played by Hans Howes, has been changed to Cap, and the setting of the show has been moved to Apache Junction, Arizona.