Stolen copy of unreleased movie leads to multimillion-dollar dispute with Netflix

Netflix is facing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit after an unreleased World War II spy thriller starring Hollywood actor Nicolas Cage was allegedly stolen from the company's Los Angeles office, with the filmmakers accusing the streaming giant of compromising the film's commercial prospects.

The lawsuit was filed by the producers of Fortitude, who claim Netflix mishandled a copy of the film that had been provided for internal screening as part of discussions over a potential acquisition, as reported by US magazine The Hollywood reporter.

According to the complaint, Netflix first expressed interest in purchasing the film after receiving promotional materials in December 2025 and requested a working cut in June 2026.

The filmmakers allege that Netflix instructed them to provide the key to the film's Digital Cinema Package (DCP)—the industry-standard format used to distribute movies for screenings—so the company could test the film internally.

On June 15, one of Fortitude's producers personally delivered a hard drive containing the film to Netflix's offices at Sunset Bronson Studios in Los Angeles.

According to the lawsuit, the producer informed Netflix that the DCP was unencrypted and instructed the company to delete the files after the screening before notifying him that the drive was ready to be collected.

The complaint alleges that the unencrypted master copy was among several hard drives stolen from Netflix's offices last month.

According to a source familiar with Netflix's internal investigation, the company determined that the other stolen drives were empty.

Netflix has denied responsibility for the incident, arguing that the filmmakers failed to follow standard industry security procedures.

“Netflix disputes any claim that it bears the risk of loss for a film delivered without the proper industry-standard safeguards,” a company spokesperson said.

“While we do not own the rights to Fortitude, we take content security seriously and have taken extra measures to support the filmmaker and his team. This includes conducting a thorough investigation and offering to monitor known piracy sites for any unauthorized distribution or sale.”

The lawsuit also accuses Netflix of refusing to disclose whether it reported the theft to police or involved law enforcement in the investigation.

According to the complaint, the filmmakers later filed their own police report with the Los Angeles Police Department, but Netflix allegedly declined their request to formally involve the department in the company's internal investigation.

Netflix rejected those allegations, saying it chose not to share details of its ongoing investigation after a law firm representing Afram, the film's production company, demanded $165 million in compensation.

The company described the demand as a “hostile attempt to extort money” rather than an effort to “work with us in good faith.”

The case centres on whether Netflix had a legal duty to safeguard the unreleased film after accepting the screening copy and whether the alleged loss materially affected the movie's market value and future distribution prospects.

By Nazrin Sadigova