Netflix sued after unreleased Nicolas Cage film stolen from LA office; filmmakers seek $105m
Netflix had expressed interest in acquiring the film after receiving promotional materials
A stolen hard drive containing an unreleased World War II thriller starring Nicolas Cage has landed Netflix in court, with the filmmakers accusing the streaming giant of mishandling a screening copy and damaging the movie's commercial prospects.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, writer-producer Simon Afram and his company, Op-Fortitude, filed a lawsuit in California federal court on Thursday, seeking at least $105 million in damages over the theft of an unencrypted master copy of Fortitude from Netflix's Los Angeles office.
According to the complaint, Netflix had expressed interest in acquiring the film after receiving promotional materials in December 2025 and later requested a working cut for internal review. The filmmakers allege they were instructed to provide the key for a digital cinema package (DCP), typically used to securely deliver films for screenings.
On June 15, a producer personally delivered the drive to Netflix's office at Sunset Bronson Studios. The lawsuit claims the producer informed Netflix that the DCP was unencrypted, asked the company to delete the files after the screening and notify the team when the drive was ready for collection.
Instead, about 10 days later, Netflix informed the filmmakers that the drive had been stolen.
In an email included in the lawsuit, Sean Berney, Netflix's head of film acquisitions, as acquired by the outlet, wrote: "This is a first for us. Unfortunately, someone stole a good amount of drives from our office desks this past week. We've been working through this with our security teams to no luck. Our piracy teams are on high alert with the breach and will monitor."
Netflix has pushed back against the allegations.
"Netflix disputes any claim that it bears the risk of loss for a film delivered without the proper industry-standard safeguards," a company spokesperson said in a statement.
"While we do not own the rights to Fortitude, we take content security seriously and have taken extra measures to support the filmmaker and his team. This includes conducting a thorough investigation and offering to monitor known piracy sites for any unauthorized distribution or sale."
According to a source familiar with Netflix's investigation, the missing drive contained an unencrypted master copy of the film, while the other stolen drives were empty.
The lawsuit also alleges Netflix declined to disclose whether it filed a police report or involved law enforcement in the theft. It further claims the company later refused a request from the filmmakers to bring in the Los Angeles Police Department after they had filed their own report.
Netflix, however, said it withheld details of its internal investigation after a law firm representing Afram demanded $165 million, describing the move as a "hostile attempt to extort money" rather than an effort to resolve the matter cooperatively.
The filmmakers argue the theft has severely complicated efforts to sell Fortitude. They say any potential distributor would now have to be informed that an unencrypted copy of the film was stolen before release, a disclosure they believe could affect acquisition talks, insurance coverage and marketing plans while increasing the risk of an online leak.
According to the complaint, sales efforts have been paused despite interest from several domestic and international distributors, putting the film's planned release strategy and awards campaign in jeopardy.
Directed by Simon West, Fortitude tells the true story of British Intelligence operatives who used elaborate deception tactics to mislead Nazi leadership during World War II. The ensemble cast includes Nicolas Cage, Matthew Goode, Ed Skrein, Jordi Mollà and Alice Eve.
