Major leadership shake-up at Netflix: film chief Dan Lin is out
If you’re keeping score at Netflix, the film chief is out amid layoffs and executive exits, and its content leadership is getting a hard reset.
Some of Netflix ’s splashiest upcoming movies — including Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew and David Fincher’s The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, both earmarked for exclusive IMAX runs before hitting the service — will now move forward without the executive who championed them. Over the weekend, producer-turned-exec Dan Lin was let go as the streamer’s film chief, leaving the movie division without a named boss while Netflix rethinks how it greenlights and releases films, according to Variety.
Around 1,000 Netflix jobs — roughly 6% of the company — are being cut as part of a broader shake-up.
The slate he leaves
Lin had pushed for tighter spending and a more curated pipeline, and said he had greenlit or acquired 88 films during his short run. Several of those titles — including big-screen concessions for directors who want theaters first — stay on the books for his successor to oversee.
- Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew — Greta Gerwig’s take on C.S. Lewis, planned for an exclusive IMAX theatrical window before streaming.
- The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth — David Fincher’s film, also set to get an IMAX window before landing on Netflix.
- Emilia Pérez — part of the Netflix film lineup Lin assembled.
- Apex — another title from the batch he brought in.
Whether the leaner-spend approach survives him is an open question, but the projects he set in motion are expected to roll ahead under whoever takes the reins.
Who’s steering film now
Netflix hasn’t explained Lin’s exit or named a permanent replacement. Industry chatter has floated former Warner Bros. film chiefs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy as possibilities, but neither has been confirmed. Variety reported Lin was let go over the weekend; Netflix has not commented on the decision.
The change comes amid a larger reorg. Longtime chief content officer Bela Bajaria has departed, with veteran executive Peter Rice stepping in to oversee Netflix’s global content operation — film, TV and live events included. Two key film lieutenants tied to Lin, Doug Belgrad and Sheroum Kim (who ran the indie division), are also out.
Netflix has faced questions about slower engagement and a sliding share price, and recently pulled back from a potential Warner Bros. Discovery deal when it no longer made financial sense, per the report. Who directly runs the film unit day-to-day remains to be announced. Peter Rice starts October 26.