Netflix sued for $105 million over stolen Nicolas Cage film “Fortitude”
Producers led by Simon Afram filed a federal lawsuit in California claiming Netflix failed to safeguard an unencrypted master copy of the unreleased World War II thriller “Fortitude,” starring Nicolas Cage. The film’s hard drive was hand‑delivered to Netflix’s Los Angeles office on 15 June and, ten days later, the drive was reported stolen. Afram, who invested more than $45 million in the seven‑year production, seeks at least $105 million in damages, arguing the theft destroyed the film’s exclusivity, marketability and insurance value and halted negotiations with distributors.
Netflix denied responsibility, stating it does not own the rights to “Fortitude,” that the material was delivered without industry‑standard encryption, and that it has taken extra security measures, launched an internal investigation and is monitoring piracy sites. The company also said it declined to share details of the investigation or a police report, describing the producers’ demands as an attempt to extort money.
Entities: Ben Kingsley · California federal court · Fortitude · Netflix · Nicolas Cage · Simon Afram
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 17 SOURCES] Netflix officials reported the drive missing on 25 June 2024. (true)
- [● 20 SOURCES] Producer Simon Afram invested more than $45 million in the production of “Fortitude”. (articles 6fb27000-80e0-480f-92d9-8476e89d9dbb, 0b2f2372-4aea-4647-9fa1-23c490ceeace)
- [● 17 SOURCES] Netflix’s internal email indicated the company may have known about the theft for up to a week before informing the producer. (supporting_article_ids)
- [● 25 SOURCES] The film “Fortitude” stars Nicolas Cage and Ben Kingsley. (supporting_article_ids)
- [● 25 SOURCES] Netflix is being sued for $105 million over the theft of an unencrypted master copy of the unreleased film “Fortitude”. (supporting_article_ids)
- [● 18 SOURCES] The lawsuit was filed in a California federal court. (articles b010b02b-4953-436f-8b80-79a48de820be, 14689cf8-51ad-461d-8cbe-d5cb338af718)
- [● 20 SOURCES] Netflix disputes responsibility, stating the material was delivered without industry‑standard encryption. (articles 6fb27000-80e0-480f-92d9-8476e89d9dbb, 0b2f2372-4aea-4647-9fa1-23c490ceeace)
- [● 17 SOURCES] The unencrypted digital cinema package (DCP) was hand‑delivered to Netflix on 15 June. (supporting_article_ids)
- [● 7 SOURCES] The hard drive containing the master copy was stolen from Netflix’s Los Angeles office on 25 June, nine days after delivery. (supporting_article_ids)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Netflix says it has launched an investigation and is monitoring piracy sites but declined to share police‑report details. (articles b010b02b-4953-436f-8b80-79a48de820be, cd0f4960-a3fd-441c-8c1f-cc37d1728aa3)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Producers sued Netflix for $105 million over the theft of an unencrypted master copy of the film “Fortitude”. (articles 0b2f2372-4aea-4647-9fa1-23c490ceeace, b010b02b-4953-436f-8b80-79a48de820be, 14689cf8-51ad-461d-8cbe-d5cb338af71)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The unencrypted hard drive containing “Fortitude” was hand‑delivered to Netflix on 15 June and reported stolen on 25 June. (articles 0b2f2372-4aea-4647-9fa1-23c490ceeace, 2ead5797-2e01-4df8-af01-bb10dbbd3d82)