Following his starring role in Prime Video‘s recent Spider-Noir live-action series, a loose offshoot to the animated Spider-Verse films (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse), the brilliant Nicolas Cage is lining up an interesting set of upcoming projects. Before he returns in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse in 2027, Cage is sporting a wavy blonde wig and aqua blue tracksuit in the upcoming sports biopic, Madden, which is directed by five-time Academy Award-nominee David O. Russell, and also features Christian Bale.
Following that, Cage will star in the upcoming British WWII thriller Fortitude, written by Simon Afram (Lear Rex) and directed by Simon West (Con Air). The likes of Matthew Goode (The Imitation Game), Ed Skrein (Jurassic World: Rebirth), Jordi Mollà (Mobland), Alice Eve (Star Trek Into Darkness), Michael Sheen (Frost/Nixon), and more feature in a stacked cast that Afram called “remarkable” in a previous statement. “Their chemistry and depth, paired with West’s direction, elevate this story into something truly gripping and unforgettable,” he added.
However, the road to the screen has been rocky for Fortitude, with Martin Scorsese previously sued by Afram in 2023, being accused of taking $500,000 as an executive producer payment and then never attempting to help get the project off the ground. Scorsese‘s lawyers then countersued, and the issue was resolved out of court. From one legal issue to another, it’s now been revealed that Afram has hit Netflix with a lawsuit for $105 million.
What is the Lawsuit About?
According to court documents, it’s claimed that an associate producer handed a digital cinema package at Netflix headquarters back in June, with Netflix potentially negotiating the rights to the film. However, when that same associate producer attempted to contact Netflix to retrieve the package, the world’s biggest streamer went silent.
After more than a week, Netflix confirmed in an email that the film had been stolen. Although there is no evidence that the film has yet been leaked, Afram argues that the value of the project has been jeopardized by this crime. Commenting on the lawsuit, director of the original film at Netflix Sean Barney said:
“This is a first for us. Unfortunately, someone stole a good amount of drives from our office desks this past week. We’ve been working through this with our security teams to no luck.”
via Collider