Dan Lin is out at Netflix, completing a total shakeup of the content leadership at the mega streamer, TheWrap has learned.
Lin’s exit comes on the heels of Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria exiting last week right after laying off 6% of its staff. She was replaced by respected veteran Peter Rice, who will now oversee content strategy for the streamer amidst growth woes.
Netflix declined to comment.
“It’s been a great privilege to lead this incredible team and work with amazing filmmakers and talent to bring their movies to the world. Thank you to Ted, Greg and Bela for the opportunity,” Lin said in a statement/
Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO, added: “I started working with Dan well before he joined us in 2024 and his strength as a producer was always clear. Once he joined Netflix, I saw up close how his dedication to quality filmmaking, rigor around dealmaking and strategy, and collaborative spirit elevated our film business. I’m grateful to Dan for everything he’s done for Netflix films.”
Lin, a successful producer behind films like the “It” franchise and “The LEGO Movie” series, was hired to run Netflix Film in 2024 after the exit of Scott Stuber. Lin’s tenure marked a shift away from the more prestige and big-spending swings of Stuber, which ranged from Oscar winners like “Roma,” “The Irishman” and “Frankenstein” to pricey flops like the Russo Brothers’ “The Electric State” and Zack Snyder’s “Rebel Moon” films.
The news comes after Netflix Film VP Doug Belgrad, who served as Lin’s right-hand man, was also let go at the streamer as part of its company-wide layoffs.
Lin took over as the new Netflix Film Chief in April 2024, replacing Scott Stuber, with a mandate to spend less on fewer, better movies. Known for being blunt, he reorganized the film division by genre and pushed for more comedies, romantic comedies and book adaptations. He also held a hard line on theatrical releases, which did him no favors with A-list talent. As recently as June, Lin told The New York Times that Netflix won’t work with filmmakers who insist on a theatrical-first release.
Netflix greenlit roughly 88 films in Lin’s first two years, according to the Times. His tenure produced hits including “The Rip,” “War Machine,” “Happy Gilmore 2” and “People We Meet on Vacation,” which drew more than 17 million views in its debut week, along with critical successes like Sundance acquisition “Train Dreams.” Lin also made room for big theatrical exceptions. Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” is getting a full theatrical rollout before it hits the streamer in 2027, and David Fincher’s “The Adventures of Cliff Booth” is set for a two-week Imax run before its Dec. 23 Netflix debut.
One top talent agent who works with Netflix, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Wrap that Lin ran into the same wall as his predecessor.
“He had the same problem Scott Stuber had: quality,” the agent said. “The Netflix business model and the financial structure of their films does not allow for making consistently high quality films. You pair that with the volume Netflix has to make, and it spells trouble. It’s the exact same problem Bela had as well. Whoever takes over for Lin will also have the same problem.”
Lin is the founder and CEO of Rideback, an entertainment company known for producing tentpole live-action and animated content for global audiences. Since forming his company in 2008, Lin has produced films that have grossed $6 billion in worldwide box office. Prior to founding Rideback, Lin served as senior vice president of production for Warner Bros. Pictures. During his eight-year tenure at the studio from 1999 to 2007, he oversaw the development and production of major motion pictures such as Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-winning drama “The Departed.”
Puck’s Matt Belloni was first to report the news.
