Netflix has dismissed film chief Dan Lin as the streamer continues a sweeping creative leadership overhaul following a 6% workforce reduction.

Lin was informed of the decision by co-CEO Ted Sarandos on Friday, one day after chief content officer Bela Bajaria’s departure became known, three sources told Variety. Lin’s senior lieutenant, Doug Belgrad, was also among those affected by the broader cuts.

Despite receiving the news, Lin continued with weekend industry commitments. He attended Saturday’s Academy Gala, where Sarandos was also present, and appeared at a Sunday tastemaker screening in support of the filmmakers behind “La Bola Negra.”

Peter Rice, the veteran film and television executive, is now set to oversee the platform’s content as Netflix reshapes its creative operation amid poor stock performance and falling user engagement.

Competing Accounts of Lin’s Exit

There is no single confirmed explanation for Lin’s dismissal. One theory circulating inside the industry is that Sarandos faces pressure to present a growth narrative to Wall Street ahead of Netflix’s quarterly earnings report on Tuesday.

Another view is that Lin struggled to find the desired balance between streaming-focused movies and experiments with theatrical distribution. However, he had completed only about half of a five-year agreement, giving him a limited window in which to develop and release a new slate.

Lin arrived at Netflix with a mandate associated with tighter spending and a greater emphasis on quality over volume. His predecessor, Scott Stuber, had paid premiums to bring filmmakers including Martin Scorsese, Alfonso Cuarón and Rian Johnson to the service. Stuber also pushed theatrical exhibitors to accept Netflix releases, although they refused at the time, and he left in mid-2024.

Lin subsequently persuaded Sarandos that family-oriented intellectual property should receive substantial exclusive theatrical windows before moving to streaming, according to people familiar with his work. The results are expected to reach theaters next year through Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

Internally, Lin reorganized Netflix’s film executives around genre expertise rather than project budget levels. He also moved to fill release openings left after Stuber’s departure with “Nonnas,” “Happy Gilmore 2” and “The Thursday Murder Club.”

Lin spent one day each week working with the company’s animation team and installed Hannah Minghella as a leader there. On the live-action slate, he was credited with bringing Alan Ritchson to “War Machine” and securing Matthew McConaughey and Ben Stiller for upcoming projects.

Reported Tensions With Filmmakers

Reports in the weeks before Lin’s exit described disagreements with Ben Affleck over the newly released “Animals” and with Gerwig over “Narnia,” which represents a $250 million theatrical-first bet for Netflix.

Four sources said Lin and Gerwig had a falling out during a Zoom meeting earlier this year. Lin was described as “dismissive” while discussing the film’s progress during a call attended by multiple Netflix executives.

After word of the difficult meeting spread within the company, Bajaria reportedly contacted producer Amy Pascal in an effort to repair the situation. Two sources said Gerwig’s CAA agent, Bryan Lourd, then approached Sarandos directly. Lin was subsequently removed from direct oversight of the project, with Belgrad becoming its principal Netflix executive until his own departure in the workforce reduction.

Crucially, none of the sources said the Gerwig episode caused Lin’s firing. One supporter characterized Lin as someone who is not “afraid to talk about how to make a movie better,” while another person familiar with Netflix said other filmmakers could describe similar experiences with his blunt delivery.

Nor is the reported dispute confirmation that “Narnia” itself is in trouble. Gerwig’s previous film, “Barbie,” faced industry doubts before opening but ultimately earned $1.44 billion worldwide and became Warner Bros. Pictures’ highest-grossing release.

ShowBiz Take

Lin’s removal matters because it comes amid a much larger reset at Netflix, not as an isolated executive change. With Bajaria and Belgrad also gone and Rice assuming control of content, the company is dismantling a leadership structure that had been making consequential decisions about budgets, creative relationships and the role of theatrical releases.

Lin’s brief tenure also illustrates the tension at the center of Netflix’s film strategy. He was brought in under an austerity-minded approach, yet also championed expensive theatrical-first projects and worked to attract major talent. The unresolved question is whether the next film chief will continue that strategy or redirect it again.

What Happens Next?

Attention is already turning to Lin’s potential successor. Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy have been mentioned, with one highly placed source calling that possibility “probably” likely, but no replacement is confirmed.

Lin, who joined Netflix from his company Rideback, addressed colleagues in a Monday memo. Recalling Bajaria’s advice to “Be yourself,” he wrote that employees’ work was personal because of the connection between their passion for movies and the audiences they serve.

“To them, movies aren’t about business,” Lin wrote. “They’re about feeling something.”