Jury selection may be more difficult for the Texas court handling the murder trial of famous Navy SEAL Chris Kyle on whose life the blockbuster film "American Sniper" is based.

There are about 800 residents of Erath County from where the court is selecting jurors who would decide on the fate of Eddie Ray Routh, 27, accused of shooting to death Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield at a countryside firing range in 2013, New York Daily News reports.

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Routh's lawyers tried but failed to delay the trial because of the box-office success of "American Sniper." Also rejected by the judge was a motion by the defense team to change venue since they think it would be hard to find 12 unbiased people who wouldn't consider Kyle a hero after watching the biopic.

Selecting the jury starts on Monday, but the potential jury members have been given questionnaires on Thursday in preparation for opening arguments on Wednesday.

Residents believe that despite Kyle's fame in Texas even before the movie was shown, a fair trial is still possible.

"The people here are objective conscientious and diverse, just like they are everywhere else ... We've got academics, professionals and blue collar workers," NBC quotes Jon Koonsman, a freelance writer and sixth-generation rancher.

As part of his stint in the Middle East, Kyle killed 160 people in Iraq, proof that he was one of the best, but fatal snipers in the U.S. Clint Eastwood stars in the film version shown in the middle of January and has earned more than US$250 million. The movie has also been nominated for six Academy Awards.

Kyle retired from military service in 2009. Routh, a Marine who was battling post-traumatic stress disorder, went with Kyle on February 3, 2013, to the shooting range to get some help for his ailment.

But the session turned out to be bloody when Routh gunned the two men dead and stole Kyle's truck as he headed for his sister's house. He admitted killing the two men to his sister who called 911.

Routh attempted again to escape but was arrested the next day. His lawyers plan to enter a "not guilty" plea on the ground of insanity.

TagsAmerican Sniper, Chris Kyle