Staff cuts, tensions with Greta Gerwig… The reasons for the dismissal of Dan Lin, cinema boss at Netflix

Dan Lin has led cinema operations at Netflix for the past two years and greenlighted, among others, Peaky Blinders, K-Pop Demon Hunters and Apex. Today, here he is thrown out, overnight. Ted Sarandos, the streaming giant's number two, made him pay for the current turmoil within the company, where the workforce was reduced by 6% last week due to poor stock market performance. This former film producer (Lilo & Stitch, It, Sherlock Holmes, Aladdin, The Lego Ninjago Movie) is unfortunately one of the “collateral victims” of this decision, according to a senior Netflix executive, as is his right-hand man, Doug Belgrad, and the content director, Bela Bajaria. The firm has already found a replacement: Peter Rice, cinema veteran and former CEO of Walt Disney Television.

It could be that Ted Sarandos has been thinking about putting this plan into action for several months. The American press mentions other reasons for dismissal, which are not linked to poor economic performance. Because on a financial level, Dan Lin would have been rather efficient. He reduced production costs and loudly advocated the adage “quality is better than quantity”. He also asked to reduce the frequency of broadcasting of films. Before his mandate, a feature film was released every week on the platform. Finally, he managed to convince the big boss that certain works produced by Netflix should benefit from an exclusive theatrical release, as will be the case for Narnia: The Magician's Nephew, expected on April 2, 2027.

“A lack of tact”

Despite these rather positive results, Dan Lin would have been overtaken by behavior considered excessive. For Narnia, for example, he clashed with director Greta Gerwig. According to Variety, he made derogatory remarks to her in early 2026 during a videoconference where many Netflix executives were gathered. Known for his outspokenness, but also his “lack of tact”, the producer allegedly criticized him for dragging out his filming and post-production. The story of the quarrel then spread through the corridors of Netflix. The filmmaker's agent informed Ted Sarandos, who decided to remove Dan Lin from the project and replace him with his right-hand man Doug Belgrad.