The director and producers of the unreleased spy film Fortitude have filed a $105 million lawsuit against Netflix, accusing the streaming service of losing the master copy of the film, according to CBS News.
Court filings say one of the producers personally handed Netflix staff an unencrypted master copy on disc for a screening for a potential buyer, with instructions to delete all files immediately after viewing. A Netflix executive later told the filmmakers that discs left on employees’ desks had been stolen from the office.
The plaintiffs argue that the loss of the master copy has put the project’s future at risk, saying studios may refuse to acquire the film out of fear that a pirated version could surface publicly. They contend the loss of exclusivity has significantly reduced the film’s market value.
Fortitude was in production for more than seven years and cost $45 million. The film centers on a secret Allied operation during World War Two, codenamed Operation Fortitude, and stars Nicolas Cage, Ben Kingsley, and Ron Perlman.
