Netflix is facing a $105 million lawsuit over the theft of a hard drive containing an unreleased copy of the Nicolas Cage war thriller "Fortitude".
According to the lawsuit, several hard drives were stolen from Netflix's Los Angeles office, including one containing the $45 million film. The producers allege that the theft has jeopardised the movie's commercial release and awards campaign.
Netflix said it disputes claims that it is responsible for the loss.
"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. The streamer added that it had conducted a thorough investigation and offered to monitor piracy websites for any unauthorised distribution of the film.
The lawsuit states that Netflix received a digital copy of "Fortitude" in June after expressing interest in promotional materials. The producers said the copy was intended only for internal screening and that Netflix had been instructed to delete the files afterwards.
The suit also alleges that Netflix failed to disclose whether it had filed a police report following the theft and later declined the producers' request to involve the Los Angeles Police Department after they filed their own complaint.
According to the lawsuit, the theft has placed any future sale of the film at risk and forced the producers to pause international release plans and an awards campaign.
"Fortitude" is a World War II espionage thriller directed by Simon West and stars Nicolas Cage, Matthew Goode, Michael Sheen and Ben Kingsley.
The project was previously linked to filmmaker Martin Scorsese, who was later sued by screenwriter Simon Afram over allegations that he failed to help develop the film after accepting $500,000. The dispute was later settled.