Producer Adds Defamation Claim To Netflix 'Fortitude' Suit
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- Simon Afram added a defamation claim to his lawsuit against Netflix, citing Netflix's statement that accused him of "hostile attempts to extort money" by "immediately demanding $165 million" for the film.
- Afram's legal team countered that the first letter to Netflix on June 29, 2026, merely requested information and a meeting, with the $165 million demand not arriving until July 1—after Netflix "refused to cooperate" on June 30.
- Netflix stated it "disputes any claim that it bears the risk of loss for a film delivered without the proper industry-standard safeguards" and said it has seen no evidence the film has been leaked.
- The unencrypted DCP of "Fortitude," which cost over $45 million to produce, was delivered to Netflix for a potential purchase and was stolen from Netflix desks, with the company allegedly waiting a week before notifying the producers.
- The original lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, seeks at least $105 million in damages and alleges conversion, breach of bailment contract, and breach of implied contract.
- The film stars Nicolas Cage as real-life double agent Dusko Popov, alongside Matthew Goode, Ben Kingsley, Ron Perlman, and Michael Sheen, directed by Simon West.
Why it matters: The dispute now turns on a disputed chronology: Afram's team claims the $165 million demand came only after Netflix refused to share information about the theft on June 30, directly contradicting Netflix's framing of an "immediate" extortion. If courts credit the producer's timeline, Netflix's public narrative about bad-faith dealings could undermine its own defense and create defamation liability beyond the original $105 million in damages.
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