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Nicolas Cage and the Mystery of the Missing Movie with Jay Jurden

Scam Goddess

Hosted by Laci Mosley

1h 9m
Transcript

Original podcast

Summary

Written by a model from the transcript; not yet reviewed.

Host Laci Mosley is joined by comedian Jay Jurden to discuss the latest scam making headlines: the theft of a hard drive containing an unencrypted copy of the unreleased Nicolas Cage movie, Fortitude, from a Netflix office in Los Angeles. The discussion weaves through the absurdities of the film industry, real-life double agents like Dusko Popov who inspired James Bond, and Swiss billionaire Simon Afrem suing Netflix for $105 million over the missing $45 million movie. Jay and Laci debate whether the theft was an inside job by the producer himself or just classic corporate negligence, while also poking fun at crowd-work comedians, fan culture, and Nicolas Cage's eclectic spending habits.

  • Comedians who rely heavily on crowd work and monetize audience interactions should pay out a portion of their digital earnings to the people providing the material. 15:45
  • Netflix faced a major security breach when a physical hard drive containing the unreleased Nicolas Cage movie Fortitude vanished from their LA office. 39:55
  • Swiss billionaire Simone Afrem is suing Netflix for $105 million after his $45 million passion project film was allegedly stolen from their premises. 45:36

Chapters

  1. 0:00
  2. 2:53
    Podcast Intro and Host Greeting

    The episode opens with Laci Mosley introducing herself as Scam Goddess and setting the comedic tone for the show.

  3. 3:56
    Defining Scams in Comedy

    The hosts discuss what constitutes a scam in stand‑up, contrasting crowd‑work with exploitative practices.

  4. 5:49
    Conversations About Concert Scams

    They examine how concertgoers can be scammed by other fans, using Beyoncé and other artists as examples.

  5. 25:55
    Transition to the Main Story

    The hosts shift focus to the central narrative: a missing hard drive containing an unreleased Nicolas Cage film.

  6. 37:42
    Netflix Theft Incident

    Details unfold about how the hard drive was stolen from Netflix, the investigation, and the subsequent lawsuit.

  7. 42:34
    Wrap‑Up and Closing Remarks

    The episode concludes with final jokes, reflections on the story, and a teaser for future content.

  8. 44:23
    Legal Fallout and Damages

    The conversation covers the lawsuit filed by the film’s producer, the claimed damages, and Netflix’s response.

  9. 46:43
    Netflix’s Alleged Leak and Legal Fallout

    The conversation turns to the lawsuit, detailing how Netflix’s handling of the film allegedly jeopardized Simone’s investment and prevented a proper market release.

  10. 48:04
    Personal Anecdotes About Film Cuts and Trailers

    The hosts share humorous stories about being cut from films, appearing in trailers, and the impact of such experiences on their careers.

  11. 1:04:29
    Cage’s Career Overview and Box‑Office Impact

    A rundown of Cage’s prolific filmography, box‑office totals, and his recent decline in mainstream appeal is provided.

  12. 1:05:40
    Nicolas Cage’s Involvement in the Fortitude Leak

    The hosts speculate that Nicolas Cage may have stolen the Fortitude film, discussing his history of “stolen” movies and his potential motives.

Highlights

  • 4:09

    Comedians Scamming Audiencesinsight

    Jay Jurden argues that a contingent of modern stand-up comedians are scamming audiences by doing lazy crowd work and questionnaires, making the ticket buyers do all the work.

  • 37:42

    Missing Movie Hard Drivestory

    Laci breaks down how a hard drive containing the finished but unreleased Nicolas Cage movie Fortitude was dropped off at Netflix and then mysteriously disappeared.

  • 40:43

    Netflix Security Claimsdata

    Netflix executive Sean Bernie claimed that this type of theft had never happened before and that the stolen drive was password-protected.

  • 44:23

    Massive Lawsuit Amountdata

    The writer-producer of Fortitude is suing Netflix for $105 million, arguing that the alleged theft severely hinders the film's sales and marketing potential.

  • 54:28

    Previous Scorsese Lawsuitstory

    The film's producer previously sued Martin Scorsese over development funds for the project, though that case was eventually settled out of court.

  • 1:04:29

    Nicolas Cage Dinosaur Skullinsight

    Nicolas Cage once outbid Leonardo DiCaprio to acquire a 270-million-year-old dinosaur skull that may have also been stolen.

Quotes

  • “I don't think it's crazy to tell people to do their fucking job.”
    Unnamed speaker · 5:12
  • “We call that being paid in exposure.”
    Laci Mosley · 16:21
  • “The movie Fortitude also stars Matthew Goode, Ben Kingsley, and Michael Sheen.”
    Laci Mosley · 37:05
  • “The movie cost 45 million dollars to make, but Simone is suing for 105 million, arguing that because the 42 team has to tell potential buyers the movie could already be leaked, the theft is hindering the sales process and could further impact everything from insurance to marketing.”
    Laci Mosley · 45:47
  • “He once outbid Leonardo DiCaprio to acquire a 270,067-million-year-old Tarbosaurus skull, which also may have been stolen.”
    Laci Mosley · 1:04:29
  • KISSIMTA 0:52–0:58
  • Zillow 1:01–1:22
  • OnDeck 1:26–1:45
  • Clinique 2:00–2:28
  • Rexulti 25:10–25:39
  • OnDeck 45:48–51:57
  • KISSIMTA 51:58–52:57
  • Zillow 52:58–54:01
  • Rexulti 54:02–55:15

About this episode

Laci is joined by the hilarious Jay Jurden in this extra long episode exploring the heist of a Nicolas Cage film from a flash drive someone left on a desk. Throughout Cage's (née Coppola) storied career, he's starred in some of the greatest movies of all time (Adaptation), and he's led some of the worst (see streaming titles). But no one predicted an entire film could be stolen. Now, producers are suing, and we're left wondering if this film about the man who inspired the creation of James Bond will ever see the light of day. SOCIALS: Jay Jurden: @jayjurden https://www.instagram.com/jayjurden/?hl=en Laci Mosley: @divalaci https://www.instagram.com/divalaci/?hl=en WE'RE ON YOUTUBE: Join us on YouTube! See Laci, the guests, and fraudsters: https://www.youtube.com/@ScamGoddess https://www.instagram.com/divalaci/?hl=en SOURCES: https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/stole-nic-cage-movie-101902325.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIwADEcUY9qM8gaeyUSJ-KgjbBgeOCeWkNtnjXdbFXDDf101h9-IAWhf2bYsRC1gjfEdZDknxU0fPTZhMr6AdAq1obsfW3v9NuXo_hUQINbod5SQG-94ZXB7ta-KX27UB1NnbyHDqHB3NIc26CFQvUr-wVflw9QMt83SNY4Yx10Z https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/movies/articles/stole-nic-cage-movie-101902325.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAIwADEcUY9qM8gaeyUSJ-KgjbBgeOCeWkNtnjXdbFXDDf101h9-IAWhf2bYsRC1gjfEdZDknxU0fPTZhMr6AdAq1obsfW3v9NuXo_hUQINbod5SQG-94ZXB7ta-KX27UB1NnbyHDqHB3NIc26CFQvUr-wVflw9QMt83SNY4Yx10Z https://pagesix.com/2026/08/06/hollywood/stolen-nicolas-cage-film-from-netflix-hq-rattles-filmmakers/ https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2026-07-30/producer-sues-netflix-over-lost-unreleased-nicolas-cage-movie https://arstechnica.com/civis/threads/man-invested-45m-in-a-nicolas-cage-movie-it-got-stolen-off-netflix%E2%80%99s-desk.1514186/ https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jul/30/netflix-sued-nicolas-cage-war-thriller See omnystudio.com/listener https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

0:00
1:09:32

15,463 words · 8 speakers

Speaker names marked are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

Topics

  • Netflix
  • Paramount
  • Arm & Hammer Deep Clean
  • Autotrader

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