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Netflix is being sued over an unreleased Nicolas Cage film that was allegedly stolen from its office in June.Writer and producer Simon Afram and his company are suing the streaming giant for $105 million, alleging the company compromised the sale of the unreleased World War II film "Fortitude" after losing a copy shared for screening, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Per the lawsuit, according to the outlet, Netflix had the filmmakers provide a working copy for the company to test internally, after they expressed interest in purchasing "Fortitude" in December. A producer for the film visited Netflix's Los Angeles office on June 15 and physically delivered a drive that included a copy of the movie, later telling Netflix that the file was unencrypted and should be deleted after the screening and before returning the drive, the lawsuit alleges. The company notified the filmmakers 10 days later that the drive and several others had been stolen.Netflix blames Nicolas Cage movie producers for unprotected film copyIn a statement shared with USA TODAY, Netflix called into question "Fortitude" filmmakers for not taking proper security measures with the film copy."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 in a statement. "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 reportedly quotes Netflix head of film acquisitions Sean Berney, who told filmmakers that the incident was a "first" with its "piracy teams are on high alert" and monitoring the breach.The lawsuit says the company refused to get the Los Angeles Police Department involved or disclose additional details to assist an investigation, while Netflix said in its statement that it "declined to share" details from its investigation due to the law firm representing Afram making a "hostile" $165 million attempt to "extort money" over the incident."Fortitude" producers argue that the theft has severely affected their ability to sell the movie and forced them to stop sale efforts, given concerns that other distributors could be put off by the risk of a leak, insurance complications and marketing disruptions.'Fortitude' produder: Cast gave 'performances of a lifetime' that 'deserve to be seen'In a statement shared with USA TODAY Friday, July 31, Afram said he spent seven years making "Fortitude," and feels the cast's "performances of a lifetime," the crew's work and the survivors whose stories are represented "deserve to be seen and recognized."Afram's legal team added that they "believe that they have an obligation to the cast and crew of the 'Fortitude' film … to ensure that their rights are protected and that this film is given the recognition, respect, and accolades that it deserves."USA TODAY has reached out to reps for director Simon West and Cage for comment."Fortitude," directed by West ("The Expendables 2," "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider"), follows the true story of the "greatest secret mission" of World War II, and stars Cage with Ed Skrein and Ron Perlman, according to IMDb.
