Producer Seeks $105 Million From Netflix Over Stolen Nicolas Cage Film

A film producer is suing Netflix for $105 million, alleging that an unreleased movie starring Nicolas Cage was stolen from the streaming company's Hollywood studios, potentially wrecking its commercial prospects due to piracy risks.

Simon Afram, the producer behind the World War II drama Fortitude, filed the lawsuit in a California court on Wednesday. According to the complaint, Afram and his team delivered an unencrypted master copy of the finished film to Netflix in June at the streaming service's own request. The delivery was made as part of ongoing negotiations for Netflix to acquire distribution rights, with Afram also open to other buyers.

The lawsuit states that Afram invested more than $45 million of his own money into the production, which took seven years to complete. The film was delivered to Netflix's premises in Hollywood, where it was kept on a drive along with other material. Nine days after the delivery, the plaintiffs received an email from Netflix informing them that “someone stole a good amount of drives from our desks this past week,” including the drive containing Fortitude.

Afram's legal team argues that the theft of an unencrypted master copy exposes the film to unauthorised copying and distribution, which would severely undermine its commercial value. The lawsuit claims that because of Netflix's failure to secure the material, the film's release plans are now in jeopardy, and the producer is seeking $105 million in damages to cover the lost investment and potential earnings.

Netflix has not yet issued a public response to the lawsuit. The company has not confirmed or denied the allegations in the filing. As is standard in such cases, the company will have an opportunity to respond in court.

This case highlights the vulnerabilities in the handling of high-value creative works during the distribution process. Films are often delivered in encrypted or protected formats, but in this instance, the master copy was reportedly sent without such safeguards, which may become a key point in the legal proceedings.

The lawsuit is at an early stage, and no court hearing has been scheduled yet. Legal experts note that damages claims of this magnitude are not unusual in cases where a film's commercial release is threatened, but proving the actual monetary loss will require detailed arguments about the film's expected earnings and the impact of the theft.

For now, the fate of Fortitude remains uncertain. The film, which has not yet been publicly screened, is now the subject of a dispute that could delay its release further or push it into a complex legal battle.