Dan Lin Exits as Netflix Film Head After Less Than Three Years
Netflix has ousted film chief Dan Lin after less than three years, Variety reports. The exit follows Bela Bajaria's firing and 1,000 layoffs across the streamer.
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- Dan Lin was removed from his post after less than three years; he joined in February 2024.
- Netflix layoffs have impacted approximately 1,000 employees so far.
- Bela Bajaria was fired one week before Lin's exit.
- Lin greenlit or acquired more than 85 movies during his tenure.
- Peter Rice has been tapped to replace Bajaria; no successor named for Lin.
Dan Lin has been let go as Netflix's head of film after less than three years on the job, Variety reported. The departure follows last week's firing of chief content officer Bela Bajaria and brings Netflix's total layoff count to approximately 1,000 employees.
Lin exited "at the start of the weekend," Variety reported, citing two sources. He planned to address his teams Monday. The shake-up also removed high-ranking members of his unit, including Doug Belgrad and indie film head Sheroum Kim.
What did Lin build at Netflix?
Lin joined Netflix in February 2024, succeeding longtime film chief Scott Stuber. He arrived from his own production house, Rideback, which produced the "LEGO" franchise, Stephen King's "It" adaptations, and the "Sherlock Holmes" films. During his tenure, Lin greenlit or acquired more than 85 movies, Variety reported.
His slate included "Apex," "Emilia Pérez," and "Train Dreams." Upcoming titles still on the docket: "The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth" and Greta Gerwig's "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew."
How is Netflix restructuring?
Peter Rice has been tapped to replace Bajaria. No successor for Lin has been named. Lin had organized his film team by genre, with individual executives producing three to four films a year each in comedy, drama, horror, and sci-fi, IndieWire noted earlier this year. Whether those genre divisions survive the reorganization remains unclear.
Netflix did not immediately respond to a request for comment from IndieWire.
Netflix's cuts now touch film, television, and corporate operations. The exits of Bajaria, Lin, Belgrad, and Kim represent the senior-most removals in a wave that began earlier this year. The removal of two film chiefs in 19 months — Stuber departed in early 2024 — points to deeper turnover ahead for the streaming company's film pipeline.
Lin produced 85 titles across roughly 33 months. That averages nearly three films per month, a pace that defined the genre-team model now in question.
Original: variety.com
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Senior reporter covering technology and product news in arts in the broadest sense at Arts & Voices.
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