It's the End of An Era for Netflix Movies

Big creative changes are coming to Netflix. In the wake of massive job cuts at the streamer — some 1,000 employees were laid off last week across various divisions — Netflix is reportedly making sweeping reforms at the top. That includes the apparent firing of Netflix's head of film, who has brought movies like Apex, The Rip, and Remarkably Bright Creatures to the streaming service.

According to Variety, Dan Lin, chairman of Netflix Film, is out at the company, with two well-known Hollywood producers potentially coming on to fill in the role. Variety positions Lin's axing as "a major creative restructuring after months of headlines citing engagement problems and stock stagnation."

Netflix's streaming hits haven't been enough

Lin joined Netflix in 2024 and has since greenlit more than 80 movies during his two years at the company. That includes movies still to come to Netflix, such as the Denzel Washington- and Robert Pattinson-starring heist film Here Comes the Flood, David Fincher and Quentin Tarantino's The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth, and Greta Gerwig’s Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew. Despite Lin overseeing quite a few hits for Netflix in recent years, he's already out (though he's still listed on the company's leadership page.)

Prior to Netflix, Lin founded and was CEO of Rideback, the entertainment company that produced hits including The Lego Movie, Stephen King’s It, and the Sherlock Holmes franchise. He previously worked at Warner Bros. Pictures, where he oversaw films such as Martin Scorsese’s The Departed. According to Variety, two of Lin's former WB colleagues — Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy, both former heads of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group — are rumored to be joining Netflix as part of the ongoing creative shake-up. (Netflix tried and failed to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery earlier this year.)

Netflix's chief creative officer also leaves

Lin's ouster from Netflix follows another top executive, chief content officer Bela Bajaria, who left the company after a 10-year stint. She's being replaced by Peter Rice, the former chairman of Walt Disney Television and chairman of General Entertainment at The Walt Disney Company, who will take over the role next week.

In a message to employees about that creative change, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said, "Peter is one of the most effective at-scale operators in the entertainment industry. His business acumen is sharp, his talent relationships are exceptionally strong, and his experience across TV and film is deep and broad. He understands what makes stories resonate, and he’s spent his career helping talent do the best work of their lives. I’m excited to welcome him to Netflix as Chief Content Officer as we continue to scale and deliver members more of the stories they love."

Netflix's creative overhaul comes as the company's stock price tumbled over the past year and shortly after a widely shared Bloomberg report that highlighted programming problems at the streamer. According to Bloomberg, Netflix’s biggest TV hits are losing more than half of their audience after one season, including strong debuts such as Avatar: The Last Airbender, Beef, and One Piece.