Netflix breaks silence after $105M lawsuit over Nicolas Cage's unreleased film

Netflix has responded after becoming embroiled in a $105 million lawsuit tied to Nicolas Cage's unreleased film Fortitude, following the reported theft of an unencrypted master copy from the streaming company's Los Angeles offices.

According to multiple reports, producer Patrick Afram and his company, Op-Fortitude, filed the lawsuit in a California federal court on July 30, alleging the loss has rendered the film effectively unsellable.

The complaint seeks at least $105 million in damages, claiming Netflix mishandled the incident.

The dispute centers on a physical hard drive containing an unencrypted master copy of Fortitude, which was reportedly among several drives stolen from Netflix's offices last month.

The filmmakers argue that the missing copy has jeopardised the project's commercial future.

Netflix, however, rejected claims that it bears responsibility for the loss.

In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the streaming giant said it "disputes any claim that it bears the risk of loss for a film delivered without the proper industry-standard safeguards."

The company added that although it does not own the rights to Fortitude, it has taken the matter seriously by conducting a thorough investigation and offering to monitor piracy websites for any unauthorised distribution or sale of the film.

Reports indicate that Netflix's internal investigation found the other stolen hard drives were empty, with the Fortitude master appearing to be the only significant content taken.

Sean Berney, Netflix's head of film, also acknowledged the seriousness of the incident in an email, saying the company's security and piracy teams had been actively investigating the breach.

The unreleased thriller stars Nicolas Cage, while the lawsuit marks an unusual legal battle involving a missing master copy before a film's release.

Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos has not publicly commented on the case.