Netflix hit with $105 million film theft lawsuit
Netflix is facing a $105 million lawsuit after filmmakers accused the streaming giant of mishandling an unreleased movie, alleging that a master copy of their World War II thriller Fortitude was stolen from the company’s Los Angeles offices, jeopardising the film’s commercial future.
According to a lawsuit filed Thursday in a California federal court, writer-producer Simon Afram and his production company Op-Fortitude claim Netflix failed to properly safeguard an unencrypted copy of the film after requesting it for internal review.
The complaint states that Netflix first expressed interest in acquiring Fortitude after receiving promotional materials in December 2025. The company later requested a working version of the film in June so executives could screen it internally.
The filmmakers said Netflix instructed them to provide the movie through a digital cinema package (DCP), a format commonly used to protect films from unauthorised access during screenings.
According to the lawsuit, one of the film’s producers personally delivered the unencrypted drive to Netflix’s Sunset Bronson Studios office on June 15. The producer allegedly instructed the company to delete the files after the screening and notify him when the drive was ready for collection.
Ten days later, the filmmakers claim they were informed that the drive had been stolen.
An email included in the court filing quotes Netflix’s Head of Film Acquisitions, Sean Berney, who wrote: “This is a first for us. Unfortunately, someone stole a good amount of drives from our office desks this past week. We’ve been working through this with our security teams to no luck. Our piracy teams are on high alert with the breach and will monitor.”
Netflix later determined that the other missing drives contained no data.
The lawsuit further alleges that Netflix refused to confirm whether it had filed a police report and declined the filmmakers’ request to involve the Los Angeles Police Department, despite the producers filing their own report.
Netflix has rejected the allegations, saying it does not accept responsibility for the loss.
In a statement, the company said it disputes bearing “the risk of loss for a film delivered without the proper industry-standard safeguards,” while adding that it had offered to monitor piracy websites for any unauthorised release of the film.
The streamer also claimed it stopped sharing details of its internal investigation after lawyers representing Afram demanded $165 million, describing the demand as a “hostile attempt to extort money” rather than an effort to resolve the dispute in good faith.
The filmmakers argue that the theft has significantly damaged the film’s market value because any potential distributor would now have to be informed that an unencrypted copy may still exist.
They claim the incident has complicated acquisition discussions, insurance coverage and marketing plans while increasing the risk of an online leak before the movie’s official release.
According to the lawsuit, the producers have paused negotiations with several interested domestic and international distributors until the matter is resolved.
Directed by Simon West, Fortitude is based on a true World War II story about British intelligence operatives outsmarting Nazi leadership. The film stars Nicolas Cage, Matthew Goode, Ed Skrein, Jordi Mollà and Alice Eve.
