Unreleased Nicolas Cage Movie Vanishes; Netflix Hit With $105M Lawsuit
A vanished Nicolas Cage production has landed Netflix in a costly legal battle — but how did it come to this, with extraordinary sums at stake?
The working cut of Fortitude — a World War II–era espionage thriller starring Nicolas Cage — was hand-delivered to Netflix ’s Sunset Bronson Studios office in Los Angeles on a hard drive and, within days, was reported missing. According to reporting in The Hollywood Reporter, the drive held an unencrypted version of the film. Inside Netflix, the loss was described as unprecedented in an email from the company’s head of film acquisitions, Sean Berney, per the outlet.
Writer-producer Simon Afram and his company Op-Fortitude have now sued Netflix in Los Angeles, seeking at least $105 million in damages. The complaint alleges the disappearance torpedoed a sale that was already in motion.
How it unfolded
- December — Netflix received promotional materials for Fortitude and expressed interest, according to THR.
- June — The streamer asked to view a working cut.
- June 15 — A producer hand-delivered an external drive to Netflix’s Sunset Bronson Studios office in L.A.
- Ten days later — The filmmakers were told the drive had gone missing; Berney called the loss unprecedented in an internal note, per THR.
- Afterward — Netflix says a law firm for Afram demanded $165 million, which the company characterized as a hostile cash demand rather than cooperation.
Netflix says it followed security protocol and doesn’t bear responsibility for a copy delivered without “industry-standard safeguards.” In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, the company also noted it doesn’t control the movie ’s rights but is assisting the filmmakers.
“Netflix disputes any claim that it bears the risk of loss for a film delivered without the proper industry-standard safeguards. While we do not own the rights to Fortitude, we take content security seriously and have taken extra measures to support the filmmaker and his team.”
The lawsuit centers on events inside Netflix’s L.A. office; no criminal complaint or suspect has been identified in the filings described by THR. Fortitude remains unreleased, and no new sale or release plan has been announced since the disappearance. Afram and Op-Fortitude are seeking at least $105 million in damages.