Netflix loses Nicolas Cage film and police launch investigation
A lost hard drive containing a Nicolas Cage film has triggered a $105 million claim and landed Netflix in a police investigation.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
The mystery of the Cage film Netflix lost on a hard drive
A hard drive containing a Nicolas Cage film has vanished from Netflix's Los Angeles offices. Producer Simon Afram's complaint seeks at least $105 million from the streaming giant. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a case with all the makings of a soap opera: a work set in World War II, an actor past his prime, and a figure that seems straight out of a screenplay.
A lost hard drive and no backup copy
According to the producer's account, as stated in the complaint, the film "Fortitude" was handed to Netflix for review as a possible acquisition. A few days later, the company reported that the hard drive had disappeared. What strikes analysts is that no backup copy was kept: for a project starring Cage, even a pedigree war drama, such disregard for one's own work is, at the very least, curious.
The questions pile up. Who sends a film on a physical hard drive nowadays, when secure screenings are shared via link? How could a producer hand over the only unencrypted copy of his work? Skeptics see the loss as a possible publicity stunt: a way of drawing attention to a film that perhaps did not deserve it on its own merits. After all, we are talking about an actor who has starred in more duds than memorable works in recent years.
Orchestrated drama or simple negligence?
Another line of thought suggests the disappearance could be a setup by the producer himself to write off a failed project. The idea is not far-fetched: claiming more than $100 million for material that may have had no commercial prospects would be a peculiar way to recoup the investment. The theory of a black-market theft, however, is also circulating, fueled by the fact that an unencrypted copy could end up on file-sharing networks.
While the Los Angeles Police Department tries to establish exactly what peine to that hard drive, the case has become a perfect example of how losing a file can unleash a legal battle worthy of the film industry itself. The question that remains is whether anyone at Netflix remembered to make a copy before misplacing the original. Time and the courts will tell who was right.
A hard drive containing a Nicolas Cage film has vanished from Netflix's Los Angeles offices. Producer Simon Afram's complaint seeks at least $105 million from the streaming giant. The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating a case with all the makings of a soap opera: a work set in World War II, an actor past his prime, and a figure that seems straight out of a screenplay.
A lost hard drive and no backup copy
According to the producer's account, as stated in the complaint, the film "Fortitude" was handed to Netflix for review as a possible acquisition. A few days later, the company reported that the hard drive had disappeared. What strikes analysts is that no backup copy was kept: for a project starring Cage, even a pedigree war drama, such disregard for one's own work is, at the very least, curious.
The questions pile up. Who sends a film on a physical hard drive nowadays, when secure screenings are shared via link? How could a producer hand over the only unencrypted copy of his work? Skeptics see the loss as a possible publicity stunt: a way of drawing attention to a film that perhaps did not deserve it on its own merits. After all, we are talking about an actor who has starred in more duds than memorable works in recent years.
Orchestrated drama or simple negligence?
Another line of thought suggests the disappearance could be a setup by the producer himself to write off a failed project. The idea is not far-fetched: claiming more than $100 million for material that may have had no commercial prospects would be a peculiar way to recoup the investment. The theory of a black-market theft, however, is also circulating, fueled by the fact that an unencrypted copy could end up on file-sharing networks.
While the Los Angeles Police Department tries to establish exactly what peine to that hard drive, the case has become a perfect example of how losing a file can unleash a legal battle worthy of the film industry itself. The question that remains is whether anyone at Netflix remembered to make a copy before misplacing the original. Time and the courts will tell who was right.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (13 replies).
More summaries
-
Switzerland, Hitler, and the BIS: The Bank That Survived the War
Debate suggests the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in Basel operated with both sides while Switzerland turned its neutrality into a tax haven.
-
Pegasus helicopter vs bikers: Spain's aerial traffic-fine war
Spain's DGT Pegasus helicopter is chasing motorcyclists off-road, reigniting the debate: is it enforcement or harassment?
-
France: Police Avoid Intervening in Crimes During Match to Prevent 'War'
A police commander admits that ignoring minor crimes during the France-Morocco match prevents escalation into a "war," amid social tensions and strategic restraint.
-
Anna's Archive Blocked in Spain Without VPN
Court-ordered Cloudflare block makes Anna's Archive inaccessible in Spain without a VPN, causing severe download delays.
-
Two children and a father dead in pool: only one outlet reports it
A CLM24 story attributes three deaths in a swimming pool to a chain of revenge; no other outlet has published it. Hoax or real tragedy?
-
Bilbao benefits for a man who never paid in: video sparks row
A video shows a man in Bilbao, Spain, receiving public benefits without ever contributing: dentist, minimum income and housing. Fact-checkers are now in the spotlight.