Netflix has been hit with a $105 million lawsuit after the master copy of Fortitude, an unreleased World War II thriller starring Nicolas Cage, was allegedly stolen from the company’s offices.
Swiss producer and screenwriter Simon Afram has filed suit against the streaming giant, claiming Netflix failed to properly safeguard the film after it was delivered for acquisition consideration. According to the complaint, an unencrypted Digital Cinema Package (DCP) was hand-delivered to Netflix in June. When the production team attempted to retrieve the drive days later, communication reportedly stalled before Netflix confirmed that several hard drives, including the one containing Fortitude, had been stolen from its offices.
Afram argues that the incident has compromised the film’s exclusivity and significantly diminished its commercial value by creating the risk of piracy before any distribution deal could be finalized. The lawsuit also alleges that Netflix has not fully disclosed the findings of its internal investigation or clarified whether the theft was formally reported to law enforcement.
The company disputes the claims, maintaining that the production was delivered without industry-standard security protections and that the company does not own the rights to Fortitude. The streamer says it has conducted a thorough investigation and offered to monitor piracy platforms for any unauthorized distribution. According to Netflix, there is currently no evidence that the film has leaked online.
Directed by Simon West, Fortitude tells the true story of World War II spy Duško Popov, whose exploits reportedly helped inspire James Bond. The film stars Nicolas Cage alongside Ben Kingsley, Michael Sheen, Ron Perlman and Matthew Goode. Global distribution rights remain unsold, and the ongoing legal dispute has cast uncertainty over the project’s release plans.
