Netflix sued for $105m over stolen Nicolas Cage film
Netflix is being sued for $105 million after a hard drive holding an unreleased Nicolas Cage World War II thriller, Fortitude, was stolen from the streamer's Los Angeles office. Producer Simon Afram, who personally financed the $45 million film, alleges Netflix mishandled the copy and put any future sale at risk.
Key Takeaways
- Swiss billionaire producer Simon Afram is suing Netflix for $105 million over the theft of a Fortitude digital cinema package.
- Nicolas Cage stars in the $45 million WWII spy thriller directed by Simon West.
- Netflix says it does not own the rights and disputes liability for a copy delivered without industry-standard safeguards.
- The complaint says the theft has jeopardized exclusivity, international release plans, and awards hopes.
The dispute, covered by Variety and other outlets, has turned a routine acquisition screening into a high-stakes fight over who bears the risk when an unreleased movie goes missing. For more Hollywood money stories, see our Net Worth & Wealth hub.
What happened to the Nicolas Cage film Fortitude?
According to the lawsuit, an associate producer hand-delivered an unencrypted digital cinema package of Fortitude to Netflix's Hollywood headquarters on June 15 so the streamer could consider buying the rights. Executives screened the film the next day.
More than a week later, after attempts to retrieve the package, Netflix original film director Sean Berney emailed that drives had been stolen from office desks. "This is a first for us," he wrote, adding that security teams had not recovered them and piracy monitors were on alert.
Afram's complaint says Netflix knew about the theft for up to a week before telling the filmmakers. Berney offered to create a new DCP or reimburse for the missing drive—support the suit treats as far short of the film's value.
Why is Netflix being sued for $105 million?
Afram, a Swiss businessman who wrote the script and spent seven years and $45 million bringing Fortitude to the screen, filed the breach-of-contract suit in California federal court. The $105 million figure is tied to projected revenues of at least 2.5 times the budget, based on early distributor interest, test scores, and sales-agent feedback.
The lawsuit argues Netflix failed to keep the DCP secure after requesting keys remain open through the June 16 screening, then left it on a desk where it could be stolen. Plaintiffs say any future sale, international release strategy, and awards campaign are now in jeopardy.
"The resulting damage to plaintiffs is profound," the suit states, claiming Netflix jeopardized more than $45 million in investment and denied the cast and creators a proper worldwide release.
How has Netflix responded to the Nicolas Cage lawsuit?
Netflix disputes that it bears the risk of loss for a film delivered without proper industry-standard safeguards. The company says it does not own Fortitude's rights, has investigated the theft, and offered to monitor piracy sites. So far, sources say there is no sign the film has leaked.
In a statement, Netflix also said it declined to share investigation details with Afram's lawyers, accusing them of "hostile attempts to extort money," including an immediate demand of $165 million. Afram said he spent seven years bringing the true story to the screen and that the film belongs to its cast and creators. Worldwide rights remain available and the sale process continues.
Cage stars alongside Ben Kingsley, Matthew Goode, Michael Sheen, and others in the London-set espionage thriller about British intelligence operatives—and Dusko Popov, a real WWII spy linked to James Bond lore—directed by Simon West.