Netflix sued for $105mn: What has happened to Nicolas Cage WWII film's copy? All we know about Fortitude mishandling
Netflix is facing a lawsuit for allegedly losing an unencrypted version of a $45 million thriller starring Nicolas Cage, which took seven years to create, thereby putting the unreleased film at risk of piracy and leaks.
The legal action, which demands $105 million in compensation, was initiated by Op-Fortitude Ltd. and its proprietor, Swiss film producer and financier Simon Afram, who has also alleged that Netflix concealed the security breach. Fox News reported.
Netflix sued: What we know about the movie
The movie, “Fortitude,” draws inspiration from the historical World War II Operation Fortitude, an extensive Allied deception strategy aimed at persuading Nazi Germany that the D-Day invasion would take place in a different location. This operation depended on a fictitious army, double agents, and misleading radio communications.
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Here’s what the lawsuit says
The lawsuit states that the incident resulted in significant financial losses by undermining the film’s exclusivity in the market and its distribution value, which compelled the plaintiffs to halt their marketing and sales initiatives temporarily in anticipation of the awards season.
The complaint says that test screenings revealed an audience score of 82% in the “top-two box” category, signifying that 82% of viewers rated the film in the two highest classifications. It was also conservatively projected that the film would earn at least $112.5 million in revenue, which is approximately 2.5 times its production budget.
Netflix denies allegations
In a statement provided to FOX Business, Netflix refuted any allegations of misconduct, asserting that the film was delivered without standard industry protections such as password security or encryption. Furthermore, the company accused the plaintiffs of engaging in “hostile attempts to extort money from Netflix regarding this situation.”
The conflict arises from a private screening that Netflix is said to have requested between late 2025 and mid-2026.
The plaintiffs contended that Netflix sought an unlocked or unencrypted copy to facilitate the screening process. However, Netflix refuted this assertion, stating that security measures are a standard procedure and that the filmmakers willingly opted to supply an unencrypted version.
The plaintiffs communicated to Netflix, both verbally and in writing, that the drive was not encrypted and requested the company to remove the files from its projection system following the screening, the lawsuit states.
An unencrypted digital master drive was sent to Netflix’s Hollywood studio on June 15, 2026, and the screening took place on June 16. According to the plaintiffs, the media giant subsequently left the unencrypted file unattended on an office desk, lacking essential physical or digital security measures, resulting in its later disappearance.
Did Netflix hid the breach?
The lawsuit claimed that Netflix hid the breach by consistently delaying or disregarding the plaintiffs’ requests to schedule the pickup of the drive from June 17 to June 25. The plaintiffs asserted that it was only on June 25 that a Netflix executive contacted them via email, indicating that someone “stole” a significant number of drives from our office desks this past week.
Netflix has refuted these claims, stating that it informed the relevant parties immediately after its team learned of the incident.