One hard drive could cost Netflix at least $105 million. The copy of the film “Fortitude” has disappeared from the offices in Los Angeles and Simon Afram, screenwriter and producer of the still unreleased film with Nicolas Cage as the lead actor, has sued the platform together with the British company Op-Fortitude, demanding millionaire compensation. The lawsuit was filed on Wednesday 29 July in a federal court in California: it goes to court.
The delivery of the film and the theft of the hard drives
According to the reconstruction contained in the complaint, on June 15 a producer personally delivered a hard disk containing the “Digital cinema package”, i.e. the version of the film that can be used for professional screening, to the Netflix offices in Hollywood. The platform was evaluating a possible agreement for the distribution of the work.
The producers say they warned Netflix that the files were not encrypted and asked that they be deleted after viewing, pending recovery of the device. Netflix would screen the film the next day. Nine days after delivery, Afram and his collaborators allegedly received an email in which an executive explained that someone had stolen “a significant amount of records left on our desks”, including the one with “Fortitude”.
The lawsuit accuses Netflix of failing to adequately safeguard the media and of failing to provide sufficient information regarding the internal investigation and any initial report of the theft. The producers also claim to have independently filed a report with the Los Angeles Police Department.
Netflix: “The film did not have standard protections.” The risk of piracy
Netflix has denied the accusations. In a statement released to the media, the company disputes “any claims” relating to a film being delivered without the safety measures normally used by the film industry. The platform emphasizes that it does not own the rights to “Fortitude”, but claims to have nevertheless launched an investigation and offered producers to monitor sites known for illegal distribution of content.
Netflix also said it has limited the sharing of information gathered after what it calls “hostile” efforts by Afram’s lawyers to extract money from the company. Now the risk is that the investment in the film will be wasted due to piracy.
For his part, Afram claims that the disappearance compromised the commercial value of the film. The producer said he invested more than $45 million in the film and worked on the project for seven years. A potential buyer, according to the complaint, should be informed of the existence of an unencrypted copy outside the control of the owners, with consequences on insurance coverage, the price of the rights and the expenses necessary for the international launch.
“It is unthinkable that a sophisticated buyer would invest tens of millions” knowing that the film could appear for free online at any time, the producers argue in the court document. The lawsuit claims that its international distribution strategy and a possible film awards campaign were also suspended or compromised.
What “Fortitude” with Nicolas Cage is about
Directed by Simon West, director of “Con Air”, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” and “The General’s Daughter”, “Fortitude” reunites West and Nicolas Cage almost thirty years after their first film together. The cast also includes Ben Kingsley, Matthew Goode, Michael Sheen, Ed Skrein, Alice Eve, Ron Perlman and Lukas Haas. Filming began in London in September 2025.
The thriller reconstructs the misdirection operations organized by British intelligence during the Second World War. The title recalls Operation Fortitude, the Allied plan used to deceive the Nazi command about the location and timing of the landing in Europe, through fictitious armies, simulated military vehicles, false radio communications and double agents.
Nicolas Cage plays the role of Dusko Popov, a Serbian double agent who collaborated with British intelligence. The film also follows real-life figures such as officers Dudley Clarke and Thomas Argyll “Tar” Robertson, who were among the organizers of the disinformation campaigns. Before the disappearance of the hard disk, the work did not yet have an official release date.