Netflix Sued for $105m After Unreleased Nicolas Cage Thriller Goes Missing

Netflix is facing a $105 million lawsuit after a master copy of the unreleased Nicolas Cage thriller Fortitude was allegedly stolen from its Hollywood offices during the film’s acquisition process.

The legal action was filed by Swiss billionaire Simon Afram, who financed and produced the $45 million movie. Afram claims the streaming giant breached its contractual obligations after an unencrypted digital cinema package (DCP) containing the film disappeared just days after it was delivered to Netflix for review.

According to the lawsuit, the master copy was hand-delivered to Netflix’s Hollywood headquarters on June 15 at the company’s request. Executives reportedly screened the film the following day as part of discussions over a possible acquisition.

However, on June 25, Netflix Original Film director Sean Berney informed members of the production team that the drive had been stolen. In an email included in the court filing, Berney explained that several hard drives had been taken from employees’ desks and said the company’s security and anti-piracy teams were investigating the incident.

He apologised for the loss, adding that Netflix would either create a replacement DCP or reimburse the cost of the missing drive. Berney also suggested the thieves may have targeted the drives for their resale value rather than the data they contained, noting that the files required a separate encryption key to be accessed.

Netflix has denied liability, arguing it is not financially responsible for the loss. The company has also accused Afram’s legal team of making what it described as “hostile attempts to extort money.”

The lawsuit further alleges that Netflix may have known the drive was missing for up to a week before notifying the filmmakers. It remains unclear whether the stolen drive contained the only master copy of Fortitude.