Netflix fires film chief Dan Lin days after 1,000 job cuts and Bela Bajaria's exit

Netflix has dismissed Dan Lin as its head of film after almost three years in the job, Variety reported on Monday 19 October, citing multiple sources. Co-chief executive Ted Sarandos called Lin on Friday to tell him, three sources told Variety, a day after Netflix said chief content officer Bela Bajaria was leaving.

A Netflix spokesperson had no immediate comment, and the company has not named a successor. An announcement is expected in the coming days, Variety said.

Netflix shake-up: the numbers

Why Netflix let Dan Lin go

Variety's follow-up says there are competing explanations but one conclusion: it was not working. Lin had met his brief to curb spending and make films subscribers watched, the magazine said. Some insiders think Sarandos wanted a new growth story for Wall Street before Tuesday's earnings, after months of weak share performance and falling engagement. Others say Lin could not balance streaming hits with Netflix's new experiments in cinema releases.

The cuts had already reached Lin's team. His deputy Doug Belgrad and indie film head Sheroum Kim lost their jobs in last week's layoffs, and former Disney executive Peter Rice takes over all content from Bajaria on 26 October.

The Narnia row

Four sources told Variety that Lin and director Greta Gerwig fell out on a Zoom call earlier this year about her film Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, with Lin said to have been "dismissive" about the film's progress. Bajaria then called Gerwig's producer Amy Pascal to smooth things over, Lin was moved off the project and Belgrad took charge of it. None of Variety's sources said the incident led to the firing. Narnia and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are due in cinemas next year as part of a theatrical-first push Lin argued for.

Who Dan Lin is

Lin built Rideback, the production company behind the Lego films, Stephen King's It adaptations and the Sherlock Holmes movies, before replacing Scott Stuber at Netflix in 2024. He told The New York Times in June that his standouts included Apex, Emilia Perez, Here Comes the Flood and The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth.

"When I took this job, Bela gave me a simple piece of advice: Be yourself," Lin wrote in a memo to staff on Monday, obtained by Variety.

Who could replace him

Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, the former heads of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, have been widely tipped to be in talks with Netflix, Variety reported. Asked whether they would get the job, one senior source told the magazine: "Probably."

What it means for viewers in Pakistan

Nothing changes on your screen today: no plan, price or title has been announced as affected. If you are weighing a subscription, our Netflix price in Pakistan guide lists every plan and what you pay after tax.