An unreleased Nicolas Cage film, "Fortitude," was stolen from Netflix's Hollywood headquarters, an incident that has sent ripples of alarm through the film industry. The alleged heist of the master copy has prompted a lawsuit against Netflix, with claims that the company failed to adequately protect the film's confidentiality and security.
The incident, which occurred in June, involves the World War II thriller "Fortitude," directed by Simon West. According to court documents, an unencrypted digital cinema package (DCP) of the film was delivered to Netflix on June 15 at the streamer's request, a standard procedure when distributors express interest in acquiring a film. Netflix executives reportedly screened the movie within 24 hours.
However, on June 25, a Netflix executive allegedly sent an email to two members of the "Fortitude" film team stating that "a good amount of drives" had been stolen from office desks. The email indicated that security and piracy teams were alerted but had not yet identified the perpetrators or recovered the drives.
The lawsuit, filed by writer-producer Simon Afram, asserts that Netflix acted "recklessly, carelessly, and negligently" in safeguarding the film. Afram's legal team also claims that Netflix rebuffed requests to involve the Los Angeles Police Department in the investigation and to delete the film files after the screening, as per explicit instructions given to Netflix.
Filmmakers have voiced concerns about the implications of the alleged security breach. One indie director described the situation as "legitimately scary," suggesting it could negatively impact potential sales for the "Fortitude" filmmakers. Another filmmaker found it "incomprehensible" that security at a company of Netflix's magnitude could be compromised, calling the theft a "red flag to every person in the film community."
Netflix has disputed claims that it bears responsibility for the loss. In a statement, the streamer said it "disputes any claim that it bears the risk of loss for a film delivered without the proper industry-standard safeguards." Netflix maintains that it takes content security seriously and has taken steps to support the filmmakers, including conducting an investigation and offering to monitor piracy sites. The company also stated that it declined to share details of its investigation with Afram's legal team due to what it described as "hostile attempts to extort money from Netflix over this situation."
Afram subsequently added a defamation claim to his lawsuit, asserting that Netflix's characterization of his legal team's actions was factually inaccurate and criminal. Neither Afram's lawyers nor Netflix have provided further comment on the ongoing dispute.