Netflix is facing a $105 million lawsuit in California federal court following the alleged theft of a master copy of the unreleased Nicolas Cage film "Fortitude." The suit was filed by the film's writer and producer, Simon Afram, and his production company, Op-Fortitude, on July 30.
According to the complaint, a master copy of the World War II historical drama was delivered to Netflix's Los Angeles office on June 15, as the streaming company had expressed interest in acquiring the distribution rights. In an email dated June 25, Netflix's Head of Film Acquisitions, Sean Berney, confirmed the film's disappearance. "This is a first for us," Berney stated in the email, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. "Unfortunately, someone stole a good amount of drives from our office desks this past week. We’ve been working through this with out [sic] security teams to no luck. Our piracy teams are on high alert with the breach and will monitor."
The plaintiffs allege that Netflix declined to involve the Los Angeles Police Department in its internal investigation into the theft. Representatives for Netflix have declined to comment on the ongoing lawsuit, though the law firm representing the company described Op-Fortitude's claim as a "hostile attempt to extort money."
"Fortitude" currently has no announced release date and no distributor attached. Producers contend that the theft of the master copy could significantly harm the film's chances of securing distribution with another company. As of this report, the film has not appeared on torrenting sites, and no suspects have been identified.