This sounds like a Netflix movie in itself.
According to Page Six, Swiss billionaire producer Simon Afram has filed a US$105mil lawsuit against the popular streaming service after a master copy of his unreleased Nicolas Cage thriller was stolen from the streaming company’s Hollywood headquarters.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in California’s Central District, alleges breach of contract following the disappearance of the digital cinema package for Fortitude, a World War II spy thriller. The unencrypted master copy was hand-delivered to Netflix on June 15 at the company’s request for a distribution review. Netflix executives screened the film the following day, but producers were not notified until nine days later that the drive was missing.
According to a June 25 e-mail included in the legal filing, Netflix Original Film director Sean Berney told the filmmakers the theft was “a first” for the company.
“Unfortunately, someone stole a good amount of drives from our office desks this past week,” Berney wrote. “Our piracy teams are on high alert with the breach and will monitor, but they are likely just selling the drives for scrap.”
The lawsuit claims Netflix knew about the theft for potentially a full week before notifying the plaintiffs that the drive had been “stolen right off a Netflix desk.” Afram’s legal team argues that Netflix’s offer to reimburse the US$800 cost of a new drive is insufficient for a project that cost US$45mil to produce.
“The resulting damage to Plaintiffs is profound,” the lawsuit states. “Netflix has also deprived the Film, its cast, and its creators of the opportunity to bring their work to market and receive recognition that a properly marketed worldwide release likely would have generated.”
Directed by Simon West, who previously worked with Cage on Con Air, the film follows the life of Dusko Popov, the real-life double agent who served as the inspiration for James Bond. The supporting cast includes Ben Kingsley, Ron Perlman, Matthew Goode and Michael Sheen.
Netflix has disputed the claims, stating it does not bear the risk of loss for films delivered without industry-standard safeguards. In a comment to Page Six Hollywood, the company characterised the lawsuit as a “hostile” attempt to extort money, claiming the filmmakers initially demanded US$165mil. A Netflix source added that other drives stolen during the incident were empty.
The US$105mil figure is based on the production budget and projections that a successful film typically generates revenues of at least 2.5 times its costs. Afram, who spent seven years developing the project, said in a statement that the film represents a “performance of a lifetime” for the cast that deserves to be recognised. – syracuse.com/TNS
