Dan Lin Out as Netflix Film Chief After Layoffs — SkimNews
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- Dan Lin was dismissed as Netflix's film chief after almost three years, with insiders telling Variety he was let go at the start of the weekend and will address his teams on Monday.
- Lin succeeded longtime film lead Scott Stuber in 2024 and told The New York Times in June he had greenlit or acquired 88 movies for Netflix, citing titles including "Emilia Pérez," Greta Gerwig's "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew," and "Apex."
- Before Netflix, Lin ran the production company Rideback, credited with the animated "Lego" film franchise, the Stephen King "It" adaptations, and the "Sherlock Holmes" movies.
- Lin was let go days after layoffs claimed his right-hand Doug Belgrad and indie head Sheroum Kim, and one week after the streamer's broader cut of roughly 1,000 employees.
- Bela Bajaria was fired during that layoff round, and Netflix has hired Disney veteran Peter Rice to replace her as part of a wider creative restructuring the company attributes to engagement problems, stock stagnation and its failed bid for Warner Bros.
- Even as his exit loomed, Lin attended Saturday's Academy Gala and was spotted the next evening at a tastemaker screening for "La Bola Negra" on the Netflix campus.
Why it matters: Lin was the architect of Netflix's prestige film push — including its first Best Picture Oscar campaign for "Emilia Pérez" — and his removal, alongside deputies Belgrad and Kim, leaves Peter Rice inheriting a gutted film group at the exact moment Netflix is overhauling its content strategy after the failed Warner Bros. acquisition.
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