Netflix faces a $105 million lawsuit from film producer Simon Afram and his company Op-Fortitude, who claim the streaming service lost a hard drive containing an unreleased Nicolas Cage film. The producer alleges the loss of the master copy of the movie, titled "Fortitude," has severely damaged its marketability.
According to the legal complaint filed in California, Afram's attorneys stated that Netflix expressed interest in reviewing "Fortitude" in December 2025. Subsequently, in June, the streamer requested the unencrypted master copy of the film. Associate producer Daniel Haido reportedly delivered the hard drive to Netflix's Los Angeles office on June 15 for evaluation, with instructions for it to be deleted after screening.
Netflix disputes the claim that it bears responsibility for the loss of a film delivered without industry-standard safeguards. A Netflix spokesperson told the Daily Mail that while the company does not own the rights to "Fortitude," it takes content security seriously and has implemented additional measures. These include conducting an investigation and offering to monitor piracy sites for unauthorized distribution.
Afram's legal team argues that the film's value was heavily dependent on its exclusivity as an unreleased work. The loss of control, they contend, has destroyed this exclusivity and impaired the film's marketability, making it unfeasible for a buyer to invest significantly while facing the risk of unauthorized online release.
Sources at Netflix indicated that it is customary to share films via secure, password-protected links or Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs) secured with Key Delivery Messages (KDMs) to limit access and prevent unauthorized use or loss. However, the "Fortitude" producers allegedly provided an unencrypted DCP for screening. Netflix sources also stated that upon discovering the DCP was missing, the company notified relevant parties, including its internal security team and the "Fortitude" team.
The lawsuit states that "Fortitude" cost $45 million to produce and took over seven years to complete. The film's plot is inspired by the World War II Allied mission of the same name, which involved double agents to deceive Adolf Hitler's forces. The movie, directed by Simon West, also features Sir Ben Kingsley, Ron Perlman, Matthew Goode, Michael Sheen, Art Malik, Jordi Mollà, and Lukas Haas.